WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has now endorsed a robust sanctions package aimed at severely weakening Moscow’s economy, as his administration seeks to broker a resolution to the conflict initiated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., revealed that the president has given the green light to a sanctions bill targeting Russia that has been under development for several months.

Though Graham had previously indicated Trump’s approval of the bill, it faced further hurdles. However, a White House official confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the president indeed backs the sanctions legislation.

“This initiative is timely, given Ukraine’s moves towards peace and Putin’s continued aggression against innocents,” Graham stated, referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The legislation, primarily crafted by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., empowers the administration to implement tariffs and secondary sanctions on nations purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other commodities. This strategy targets the financial lifeblood of Russia’s military operations.

The White House has previously insisted on some revisions and flexibility for Trump in the sanctions package, but the White House official on Wednesday did not elaborate on whether any changes were secured.

The legislation has dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate, as well as a companion bill in the House, drafted by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.

Graham said there could be a vote as early as next week, although it’s unclear how likely that will be. The Senate is poised to take up a scaled-back government funding package next week that the House is currently considering, if the House passes it. The following week is a Senate recess timed to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Trump administration is currently trying to finalize a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, now nearly four years old, with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as the U.S. president’s chief negotiators.