Close Trump ally warns Putin of ‘new sheriff in town' as tensions rise

"Same ol’, same ol’ from Putin’s Russia. Escalate to de-escalate. Drag it out, hoping others lose interest. There’s a new sheriff in town. The old playbook won’t work this time," Graham said on X.

His remarks came after Trump stepped up his criticism of Putin, calling him “absolutely crazy” in a social media post Sunday night and warning that any attempt by him to conquer all of Ukraine “will lead to the downfall of Russia.”

The Kremlin said Monday that Trump’s reaction to the latest Russian strikes on Ukraine is connected to “emotional overload,” adding the start of talks between Russia and Ukraine is a "very important achievement" and the US has made “great efforts” in this regard.

In a separate post on X, Graham said he appreciates all that Trump has done to try to end "this terrible war."

"But to end any war, you must have willing partners. As of yet, Putin is not willing," he added.

Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill titled the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 on April 1 that would impose a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products.

Previously, Graham said the US Senate is ready to move on the sanctions front if Russia "continues to play games."