The White House is in ongoing discussions with Capitol Hill to amend a proposed sanctions bill targeting Russia, according to Fox News Digital. The Graham-Blumenthal legislation, introduced months ago by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has garnered 82 co-sponsors. However, the Senate has delayed a vote to give President Donald Trump room to pursue a diplomatic settlement between Russia and Ukraine. Now, with Trump increasingly skeptical of Vladimir Putin’s intentions to end the war, the bill could soon move to the floor. Although no firm timeline has been set, the House has shown appetite to move the legislation forward, with 70 House co-sponsors. State Department policy planner Michael Anton has privately indicated that the White House isn’t interested in imposing unilateral sanctions but won’t block the legislation. The White House is pushing for revisions to grant the president greater discretion in enforcement, specifically by changing mandatory terms like ‘shall’ to discretionary language such as ‘may.’ Career officials have consistently advised lawmakers to water down sanctions bills by making them more flexible. This shift is seen as a normal procedure, with officials urging modifications whenever a sanctions bill is proposed. Graham has acknowledged the possibility of revisions, including potential carve-outs from the tariff provision for countries providing aid to Ukraine. He suggested that nations helping Ukraine could be exempt from the tariffs, which would offer relief to European allies still dependent on Russian energy. Despite the administration’s interest in diluting the bill, the House also shows appetite to move it forward, with 70 House co-sponsors. The administration’s push for such changes reflects a broader strategy to balance sanctions with the need for diplomatic engagement, as tensions continue to mount over Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the European Union has unveiled a new sanctions package, still pending approval, which would ban transactions with the Nord Stream energy pipelines. The U.S. has already imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, cutting Russian banks off from the U.S. financial system, freezing over $300 billion in Kremlin assets, banning key technology exports, and blocking imports of Russian fuel. As the war rages on, the White House’s approach to sanctions and diplomacy remains a key point of discussion in both Congress and the administration.