Senator Lindsey Graham said every country buying Russian oil and keeping President Vladimir Putin's war machine will have to pay a heavy price, like India. During an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, Graham said he played golf with President Donald Trump yesterday. "Saturday was the ten-day deadline. China is very much on his mind. He can tell you the top five oil purchasers of Ukrainian oil. He knows who they are. And if this doesn't end well with Putin, everybody buying Russian oil and keeping his war machine going in Russia, you're going to pay a heavy price like India," Graham said.
"I am here to tell you that President Trump will end this war in a way to prevent a third invasion and not to entice China to take Taiwan. We're not out to humiliate Putin, we're out to get a deal to make sure there's no third invasion," Graham said.
The US senator said Trump spoke to him a lot about China and also about two other countries that buy Russian oil.
Graham said Putin does not care about the sanctions and he evades them. Putin does not care how many Russians die but the only thing that he cares about is his customers. "Putin could give a damn about sanctions. He evades them. He could give a damn about how many Russians die. The one thing that he can't tolerate and live with, if we go after his customers. The whole goal is to crush his customers, India, and China, and Brazil. That if you keep buying Putin's oil and prop up his war machine, you will be denied access to our economy. This is a new strategy. Trump is all in in terms of going after Putin's customers if we can't end this well. Without oil and gas revenue, Russia collapses," Graham said.
Graham also revealed that the US. is listening to European allies ahead of a much-publicized meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska this week, saying: "I think everybody knows that how this war ends can be a good thing or a bad thing."
"If it ends in a way that looks like that Putin is overly rewarded, there goes Taiwan," Graham said. "You can't end a war without talking. I do hope that Zelensky can be part of the process. I'll leave that up to the White House."
"I am here to tell you that President Trump will end this war in a way to prevent a third invasion and not to entice China to take Taiwan. We're not out to humiliate Putin, we're out to get a deal to make sure there's no third invasion," Graham said.
The US senator said Trump spoke to him a lot about China and also about two other countries that buy Russian oil.
Graham said Putin does not care about the sanctions and he evades them. Putin does not care how many Russians die but the only thing that he cares about is his customers. "Putin could give a damn about sanctions. He evades them. He could give a damn about how many Russians die. The one thing that he can't tolerate and live with, if we go after his customers. The whole goal is to crush his customers, India, and China, and Brazil. That if you keep buying Putin's oil and prop up his war machine, you will be denied access to our economy. This is a new strategy. Trump is all in in terms of going after Putin's customers if we can't end this well. Without oil and gas revenue, Russia collapses," Graham said.
Graham also revealed that the US. is listening to European allies ahead of a much-publicized meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska this week, saying: "I think everybody knows that how this war ends can be a good thing or a bad thing."
"If it ends in a way that looks like that Putin is overly rewarded, there goes Taiwan," Graham said. "You can't end a war without talking. I do hope that Zelensky can be part of the process. I'll leave that up to the White House."
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