Let Lindsey Graham’s ‘sanctions from Hell’ bill be the knockout punch to Russia’s war machine

Three cheers to the Senate for overwhelmingly passing Lindsey Graham’s “sanctions from Hell” bill, which could be the knockout punch against Russia’s staggering economy.

The House needs to pass the bill ASAP upon its return at month’s end: With the Pentagon unable to supply more Patriot interceptors, Ukrainian civilians now face a daily deadly pounding from Vladimir Putin’s missiles.

The bill authorizes President Donald Trump to impose “secondary sanctions,” 100% tariffs, on the top five buyers of Russian energy — a list that includes China, India and Turkey — until they switch to other suppliers.

Just as with Kyiv’s drone attacks on Moscow’s oil industry, the goal is choke off the revenues the Kremlin must have to continue the war.

With its added personal sanctions against Putin and his inner circle, the bill is a fitting tribute to the late Sen. Graham, whose steely opposition to America’s enemies will define his legacy.

The war is nearly halfway through its fifth year, with Ukraine heroically standing up to the invader, stunning the world with the ingenuity of its drone advances and its dogged defiance of Putin and his criminal approach to war.

More reason to slam Russia’s economy: New intelligence suggests the Madman of Moscow plans to test NATO’s resolve as soon as this fall with some kind of attack, perhaps even a limited invasion, in a bid to splinter the Western alliance.

The sanctions bill will offer its own test of the alliance: Under legacy contract obligations set to expire next year, Germany, Belgium and France still import natural gas from Russia to help power the European grid: Can they end those deals ahead of schedule to further pressure Putin?

Putin will not stop unless and until he has no other choice: On top of whatever other help the West can provide Ukraine, starving Russia’s war machine is both in every civilized nation’s interest and a moral necessity.