Delaware Senators Return from Ukraine Visit, Push New Russia Sanctions

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators returned Wednesday from Ukraine's key port city of Odessa, advocating for new economic sanctions against Russia. The lawmakers hope the measures will pressure Putin toward peace negotiations while supporting Ukraine's sovereignty.

WASHINGTON — Four U.S. senators returned home Wednesday following their historic visit to Ukraine, where they’re now advocating for Congress to approve new economic penalties against Russia designed to weaken Moscow financially and force President Vladimir Putin into meaningful peace negotiations.

The bipartisan group became the first American senators to travel to Odessa since the conflict started nearly four years ago. Ukraine’s third-largest city serves as a vital Black Sea shipping hub and has faced repeated Russian attacks. Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal, and Sheldon Whitehouse completed the journey, while Republican Senator Thom Tillis had to cancel due to personal matters.

“One of the things we heard wherever we stopped today was that the people of Ukraine want a peace deal, but they want a peace deal that preserves their sovereignty, that recognizes the importance of the integrity of Ukraine,” Shaheen told reporters during a phone briefing.

The senators’ trip occurs during a pivotal time in the ongoing war. Representatives from both nations were simultaneously conducting U.S.-facilitated discussions in Switzerland over two days, though neither party seemed willing to compromise on critical matters including territorial disputes and future security arrangements. Lawmakers believe the proposed sanctions could push Putin toward accepting a settlement, particularly with the U.S. establishing a June timeline for resolution.

“Literally nobody believes that Russia is acting in good faith in the negotiations with our government and with the Ukrainians,” Whitehouse stated. “And so pressure becomes the key.”

However, proposed legislation targeting Russia with severe economic penalties has remained stalled in Congress for several months.

Multiple sanction proposals are currently under consideration by senators, including comprehensive legislation that would grant the Trump administration authority to implement tariffs and secondary penalties against nations buying Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, and other exports that fund Moscow’s war machine. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also moved forward with more focused bills targeting China’s military assistance to Russia, seizing frozen Russian funds, and dismantling Moscow’s “shadow fleet” of oil vessels used to evade existing sanctions.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who helped sponsor the Senate’s comprehensive sanctions and tariff proposal, issued a statement during this weekend’s Munich Security Conference announcing that Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to schedule a vote on the sanctions bill once it secures the necessary 60 votes for passage.

“This legislation will be a game changer,” Graham declared. “President Trump has embraced it. It is time to vote.”

Blumenthal, Graham’s co-sponsor on the bill, confirmed bipartisan backing for what he described as a “very tough sledgehammer of sanctions and tariffs,” while acknowledging that “we need to work out some of the remaining details.” Democrats and several Republicans have opposed Trump’s broader tariff strategy aimed at negotiating trade agreements and boosting domestic manufacturing.

In the House of Representatives, a cross-party coalition led by Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick has introduced sanctions targeting Russia’s military industry, banking sector, and petroleum exports that sustain the war effort.

Another House proposal, spearheaded by Representative Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would increase U.S. military aid to Ukraine by $8 billion. Democrats currently need one additional Republican vote to force consideration of that measure.

Upon their return, the senators plan to document how American companies operating in Ukraine have suffered Russian attacks. The Democratic lawmakers also aim to pressure Trump into providing additional U.S. weapons to Ukraine. “Putin understands weapons, not words,” Blumenthal emphasized.

Nevertheless, the legislators will return to a Washington where the Trump administration remains uncertain about its long-term commitment to achieving lasting peace in Ukraine and broader European security. For the moment, they drew encouragement from discussions with European allies and Republican colleagues.

“We and the Republican senators who were with us in Munich spoke with one voice about our determination to continue to support Ukraine,” Coons reported.