US Senator Graham says Tomahawks should go to Ukraine if Putin rejects peace deal
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Dec. 21 that Washington should dramatically escalate pressure on Moscow — including supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles — if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to accept a negotiated settlement.
"If (Putin) says no this time, here's what I hope President Trump will do: Sign my bill that has 85 co-sponsors and put tariffs on countries like China who buy cheap Russian oil. Make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian kids. And most importantly, seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil like you're doing in Venezuela," Graham said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
"If Putin says no, we need to dramatically change the game, including giving Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine to hit the drone and missile factories that exist in Russia. I would go all in if Putin says no," he added.
Graham argued that current diplomatic efforts risk allowing Moscow to make further gains under the cover of negotiations. "We keep engaging Russia… and he rebuffs all of our efforts,” he said, adding that Putin "is going to continue to take the Donbass by force until we increase pressure."
His comments come as Ukrainian and U.S. officials concluded a new round of talks in Florida on Dec. 21, part of Washington’s push to finalize a peace framework. The meeting followed Ukrainian-U.S. negotiations on Dec. 19 and U.S.-Russian talks on Dec. 20 in Miami, with another U.S.-Russia session also scheduled for Dec. 21.
Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, said the discussions with U.S. and European representatives had been constructive.
"Over the past three days in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners. ... Ukraine remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace," he wrote.
The talks focused on a revised 20-point peace plan, possible security guarantees for Ukraine, and long-term economic development measures. "Our approach is that everything must be workable – every crucial measure for peace, security, and reconstruction," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a separate statement following his call with Umerov.
Graham’s comments could potentially revive a debate that resurfaced earlier this fall. On Nov. 2, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not planning to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, telling reporters: "No, not really… things can change but at this moment I'm not."
The Pentagon has indicated it has sufficient inventory if a political decision is made to transfer the weapons. The Tomahawk, capable of striking targets 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers (1,000-1600 miles) away, would allow Ukraine to hit military assets deep inside Russia — a step Putin has warned would mark a "qualitatively new stage of escalation."
