Congress is ready to move on Russia sanctions, Johnson and Thune say

Both top Republican congressional leaders said Wednesday they are prepared to move forward with new sanctions targeting Russia this month after President Donald Trump signaled this week he is willing to pressure Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

“Vladimir Putin has shown an unwillingness to be reasonable and to talk seriously about brokering a peace, and I think we have to send him a message — that’s my view,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, meanwhile, cited “substantial progress” in working with the White House on legislation that he said would “enhance President Trump’s leverage at the negotiating table and help end the bloodshed in Ukraine.” Thune said on the Senate floor he expected the bill to be ready for action in his chamber in the coming weeks, before senators leave Washington for their extended August recess.

“Senate Republicans are committed to working with the House and White House to get this legislation through Congress and on to the president’s desk,” he said.

A Senate sanctions bill written by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has more than 80 supporters, but Thune has been waiting on a clear signal from Trump before moving forward.

Graham told reporters Tuesday that he has included additional flexibility for Trump to waive the sanctions as he negotiates a potential cease-fire and peace deal to address White House concerns, though Graham was sketchy on the details. The existing bill includes one 180-day presidential waiver; he said Trump would be able to grant a second waiver, albeit with a congressional oversight mechanism.

Johnson said he had not been briefed on the details of the legislation but added that there’s “interest” in taking action the House, “so we’ll have to see.”

The Senate is set to remain in session through Aug. 1, though the House is set to depart Washington for the long August recess a week earlier.

Johnson declined to discuss scheduling: “I mean, this is a new thing, and it’s just come across, and so I’ll talk to Leader Thune about it.”