Congress must pass the Russian sanctions bill to give President Trump the hammer he needs to bring a long-term end to this bloody conflict.

S ome have portrayed Donald Trump’s recent Alaska summit as a win for Vladimir Putin. Russian media played up Putin’s “victory” in glowing terms. Putin celebrated by sending dozens more missiles and drones that evening to attack Ukrainian churches, hospitals, schools, and civilian apartments, as he has been doing for three and a half years. But Monday’s White House summit made it clear that Putin and his apologists celebrated too soon.

Yes, Putin escaped, at least for now, the “severe consequences” that had been promised if he did not agree to a cease-fire by the deadline. But Monday’s historic White House summit of major NATO leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, hosted by President Trump, established a potential path to lasting peace in offering Ukraine NATO-like security guarantees. President Trump was wise to play that card, as Putin has never invaded a NATO nation. But on Wednesday, Putin again showed his true colors as the Russian side clarified that they would only accept a NATO-like guarantee if Moscow had veto power over its enforcement. A bit like the criminal saying he will abide by the law if he can be his own judge.

Clearly, a cease-fire is still needed. We must remember that July had the most civilian casualties in Ukraine from Russian missiles and drones since May 2022. Putin has refused all of Trump’s cease-fire offers, while Zelensky has accepted each one. Every month of delay caused by Putin results in many thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians dead or wounded — as well as an estimated 30,000 Russian military casualties. An immediate cease-fire would save many lives while giving both parties time to negotiate a durable peace.

However, Putin may not care about the lives of his troops. Unlike the democratic government of Ukraine, which must worry about popular discontent, the Russian dictator does not have to worry about the political fallout of over 1 million military casualties thus far in the war. In part, this is because he runs a police state where any form of protest is punished by long prison sentences or worse. He has also been sure to draw recruits from far Eastern Russia, impoverished rural areas, and prisons. That is, from Russia’s third-class citizens, who are the large majority of the country. The huge body counts leave Putin’s elite power bases of Moscow and St. Petersburg virtually unaffected.

But Putin has far too much invested in his “special military operation” to give up without seizing as much Ukrainian land as he can. His current territorial demands would amount to Russia’s biggest victory yet, without firing a shot. For example, Putin demands all of Donetsk oblast, which his forces have been unable to capture despite three and a half years of intense attacks, because it contains one of Ukraine’s most heavily fortified defensive perimeters. Giving up Donetsk would be like giving Putin a noose around Ukraine’s neck militarily.

Putin only understands strength and consequences. He will not stop until he is forced to. President Trump knows that and deserves high marks for moving Putin closer to peace. But he needs help. That is why Congress should still pass the Sanctioning Russia Act, spearheaded in the Senate by Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). The bill would enable Trump to apply stiff penalties not just on Russia, but on countries that trade with Russia. It would also provide a credible threat to do so that Trump could use in further negotiations. It has 85 Senate co-sponsors and a veto-proof bipartisan majority in the House. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both strong supporters. Action on the bill had been paused to allow Trump space to negotiate. And both Republican and Democratic voters are now in favor of getting tougher on Putin to stop the Russian war machine.

Give President Trump credit. He clearly wants peace in Ukraine. He had Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent sign the Ukraine-U.S. Mineral Resources Agreement, which is the beginning of the long-term, large-scale economic partnership Ukraine will need to rebuild the estimated $1 trillion in damages the Russian military has inflicted. And give First Lady Melania Trump credit for demanding Putin return the 20,000-plus Ukrainian children the Russian army has kidnapped over the past three and a half years.

But we cannot be naïve. There is a reason nearly all of Europe is urging the U.S. to take a more forceful stance against Russian aggression. Europeans remember the brutal realities of Russian imperialism under the Soviet Union. They do not want any part of that going forward.

So let Congress help President Trump retain his relationship with Putin while cutting off the flow of funds that enables Russia to continue the death and destruction. “Vlad, I’m sorry buddy but this is now the law,” Trump could say once the bill passes. “It’s time for you to stop the war or face financial disaster.” Of course, reality is more complicated. But Congress must pass the Russian sanctions bill to give Trump the hammer he needs to bring a long-term end to this bloody conflict. Three and a half years and millions of casualties have made it clear: Peace through united U.S.-EU-Ukrainian strength is the only way to force a lasting peace on Vladimir Putin.