Graham Calls on China to Press Russia; Trump Said to Back Oil Tariffs
Senator Graham urges Beijing to leverage economic ties with Moscow as sources say the Trump administration is moving toward heavy tariffs on Russian oil exports.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham called on China to use its economic influence to pressure Russia toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, Reuters reported Thursday, as sources told CBS News the Trump administration is moving to support heavy tariffs on Russian oil exports — a convergence of diplomatic and economic pressure that marks a potential hardening of the Western posture toward Moscow.
Graham’s Appeal to Beijing
Graham’s message to Beijing is direct: China has leverage over Russia, and it should use that leverage to end the war. China is one of Russia’s primary economic partners, particularly in the energy sector, where Beijing has absorbed discounted Russian oil and gas since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Whether China would respond to American appeals — diplomatic or otherwise — remains the central uncertainty in this approach.
The senator’s latest remarks follow a week of sustained Senate activity. The chamber moved earlier this week to advance legislation targeting Russia with sanctions and pressing China on its role in Moscow’s war economy. Thursday’s Reuters report suggests Graham is pursuing a diplomatic track alongside the legislative one — applying pressure through both the statute book and direct appeals to Beijing.
Tariffs as Economic Pressure
The Trump administration’s reported move to back heavy tariffs on Russian oil, described by CBS News citing sources familiar with the administration’s deliberations, would represent a meaningful escalation in economic pressure on Russia. Russian energy exports have continued flowing — particularly to Asian markets — despite Western sanctions, a price-cap mechanism, and the departure of major Western energy companies from Russian projects.
A new tariff structure targeting Russian oil, if implemented with allied coordination, could tighten the squeeze on Moscow significantly. The timing would intersect with disruptions already affecting Iranian oil flows to Chinese buyers, as Chinese refiners have begun shifting purchases toward Gulf alternatives. Adding Russian crude to a more constrained sanctioned-oil market would complicate the energy calculus for Asian buyers that have absorbed displaced barrels from multiple producers.
The tariff reports also feed into a broader question, raised by Slate Magazine, of whether the Trump administration is genuinely turning against Putin — a significant potential shift from the warmer posture toward Moscow that characterized the earlier months of the administration’s second term.
Ukraine Formalizes Long-Range Doctrine
Ukraine has been moving on its own parallel track. Reuters reported Thursday that Kyiv has stood up a new dedicated “long-range” command, formalizing its deep-strike doctrine into a distinct military structure. The move institutionalizes what has been an escalating strategic campaign — Ukraine has increasingly used domestically developed and Western-supplied long-range systems to hit Russian military infrastructure, logistics nodes, and energy facilities well inside Russian-controlled territory.
That campaign has produced documented results. Earlier reporting tracked Ukrainian strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure that cut gasoline output by an estimated 65 percent and attacks targeting Russian naval assets and fuel supply in Crimea. Formalizing those operations under a dedicated command suggests Kyiv intends to intensify, not maintain, the current tempo.
Europe Moves on Air Defense Alternatives
The diplomatic and military activity comes as Ukraine and its European partners accelerate efforts to reduce dependence on U.S.-supplied systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is working to build a European coalition around Freya, a lower-cost alternative to Patriot air defense batteries designed to counter Russian ballistic missiles, according to Defense News. The first coalition meeting is planned for France in the coming days.
The Freya initiative parallels Ukraine’s recent acquisition of a U.S. license to produce Patriot components domestically, part of a broader push toward a more self-sufficient defense industrial base. Together, the moves reflect a European and Ukrainian calculus that the war may extend long enough to require alternatives to supply chains that pass through Washington.
What to Watch
The combination of Graham’s China appeal, the reported administration move on Russian oil tariffs, and Ukraine’s long-range command formalization gives the coming days significant diplomatic weight. The key variables are whether Beijing acknowledges or dismisses Graham’s appeal, whether the tariff reports solidify into formal policy, and how Moscow responds to simultaneous pressure from Washington, Kyiv, and European capitals.
The tariff question in particular carries market implications. Any formal U.S. move on Russian oil would reach beyond bilateral relations and reshape the supply environment for energy buyers who have spent the past two years navigating around existing restrictions.
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