Trump backs Senate Russia sanctions bill for next week vote, Graham says

President Donald Trump is in favor of a Senate bill to impose new sanctions on Russia, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Wednesday.

Graham made the statement after meeting with Trump, saying the Senate could vote on the legislation “hopefully as early as next week.” A bipartisan group of senators has been drafting the suite of sanctions and negotiating to secure White House support for months.

“After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator [Richard] Blumenthal and many others,” Graham said Wednesday.

“Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent,” he added.

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The bill seeks to dry up funding for Russia’s war machine, both by targeting Russian industries as well as other countries that purchase Russian oil, such as China and India.

Agreement on the bill came just as U.S. forces on Wednesday seized two sanctioned tankers in the Atlantic Ocean. The first was the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea, while the second was the M/T Sophia, in the Caribbean.

The North Atlantic Sea seizure comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Russia had sent a submarine and other naval assets to escort the tanker.

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The vessel had spent more than two weeks attempting to slip past U.S. enforcement efforts targeting sanctioned oil shipments near Venezuela, the outlet reported.

“The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after the tanker was seized.

Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela in mid-December.

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Meanwhile, U.S. forces say the M/T Sophia was conducting “illicit activities” in the Caribbean and is being escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard to the United States for “final disposition.”

“Through Operation Southern Spear, the Department of War is unwavering in its mission to crush illicit activity in the Western Hemisphere. We will defend our Homeland and restore security and strength across the Americas,” said SOUTHCOM.

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U.S. Navy SEALs flown by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (“Night Stalkers”) seized the sanctioned Marinera tanker, previously named Bella 1, between Iceland and Britain, officials told Fox News.

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.