U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has urged President Donald Trump to focus on securing a lasting peace in Ukraine while ensuring that any deal does not embolden Russia to invade again or incentivize China to take Taiwan. In an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Graham emphasized the need for any peace deal to prevent a reoccurrence of the 32022 invasion and securing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Graham, who supports Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin in Alaska, cautioned that the outcome of the negotiations must not inadvertently embolden Russia or encourage China to take Taiwan. The senator argued that Trump’s focus should be on securing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, rather than pursuing a deal that could weaken U.S. strategic leverage.
China, a major purchaser of Russian oil, is on the president’s mind, Graham said, just days after the White House announced that tariffs on India would be hiked to 50 percent for its own consumption of oil from Russia. “I am here to tell you that President Trump will end this war in a way to prevent a third invasion and not to entice China to take Taiwan,” Graham said. “We’re not out to humiliate Putin, we’re out to get a deal to make sure there’s no third invasion.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday morning flatly rejected the idea that Kyiv might part with territory in negotiations to stop the fighting. Graham, who told Welker he hopes “Zelenskyy can be part of the process,” said other elements of peace talks will govern whether a deal makes sense for Ukraine and its partners. “What would a good deal look like? Making sure that 2022 doesn’t happen again,” he told Welker, referencing the start of the current war. “On Biden’s watch and Obama’s watch, Russia invades. The goal for me, and I think President Trump, is to end it forever. Now, what would that look like? You’ll have some land swaps, but only after you have security guarantees to Ukraine to prevent Russia from doing this again.”
The meeting between Trump and Putin marks the first time Russia’s leader will set foot in the U.S. in nearly a decade, a significant diplomatic event with global implications. Graham’s statements underscore the complex balancing act Trump faces, seeking to end the war while protecting U.S. strategic interests in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific. As the talks unfold, the focus remains on crafting a resolution that addresses Ukraine’s security concerns without provoking further aggression from Moscow or undermining U.S. alliances in the region.