United States Senator James Lankford said the House of Representatives plans to consider long-awaited sanctions against Russia in September following his visit to Kyiv.
The Republican senator from Oklahoma returned on Tuesday from a two-day trip to the Ukrainian capital, where he praised the training of Ukraine's armed forces but admitted he could not guarantee Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Congress would approve the measures anytime soon, according to Politico.
Speaking in an interview from Poland after his visit, which was timed to coincide with Ukraine's Independence Day, Lankford said the best update he could provide was that the House intended to take up the legislation next month, though he noted he does not set the congressional schedule.
Lankford noted that Zelenskyy urged lawmakers to act as quickly as possible to impose additional economic pressure on Moscow. He explained that the Ukrainian leader views every dollar flowing into Russia as money used to purchase weapons to kill Ukrainians.
Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, which has been defending its territory against a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022. The United States Congress, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, holds the power to enact federal legislation and international sanctions packages.
Meetings in Kyiv and Senate sanction bill
Lankford visited Kyiv alongside Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. The two lawmakers spoke with Zelenskyy for about 20 minutes behind the scenes during a prayer breakfast.
Lankford appeared to be the only current elected Republican representative attending the annual event in Kyiv. His presence was particularly notable following the death last month of Senator Lindsey Graham, who was a prominent advocate for Ukraine in Washington.
Graham had worked with Blumenthal to draft the sanctions package, which passed the Senate in early August but still awaits approval in the House of Representatives. Following Graham's death, Lankford, a long-time supporter of Ukraine, actively promoted the measure and called on his fellow senators to finish the work Graham started.
When asked whether he would step into Graham's former role as a leading advocate for a firm foreign policy and defender of Ukrainian interests with President Donald Trump, Lankford rejected the idea. He stated that Graham's workload was too immense for a single person and said he had no plans to assume that position.
Patriot interceptors and security requests
During their discussion, Zelenskyy renewed requests for American Patriot interceptor missiles, asking for direct deliveries from United States stockpiles or a licence for Ukraine to produce the defence systems domestically to shield against Russian missile strikes.
Lankford said he was unable to provide a definitive response regarding the interceptors. He noted that while he could relay the request to Washington, Zelenskyy had already made the appeal directly to President Trump.
Patriot missile systems are advanced surface-to-air defense batteries manufactured by the United States that are capable of intercepting incoming tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.
Calls for negotiations and postponed diplomatic visit
In related developments, Dan Negrea, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, called on both Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on civilian targets and return to negotiations, UNIAN reported. Negrea emphasized that casualties continue to mount with every attack and stated that continuing to shed innocent civilian blood is senseless when no military solution exists.
Negrea pledged that the United States would play any constructive role possible to support negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv to reach that result.
Meanwhile, journalist Alex Raufoglu reported that United States special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have postponed a planned trip to Kyiv due to the security situation in the capital. The decision follows a wave of intensified missile strikes and drone attacks targeting Kyiv last week.
