Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina) publicly floated a dramatic escalation in U.S. support for Ukraine on NBC’s Meet the Press on December 21, 2025, proposing that the United States should provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike Russian military facilities if Vladimir Putin rejects a peace deal. The remark was reported by NBC News’ Meet the Press and summarized by Ukrinform, and it sits within a broader package of pressure measures Graham outlined. Those measures include tariffs on oil shipments, labeling Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism in response to Ukrainian casualties, and pursuing trilateral talks to secure Ukraine’s safety.
Graham argued that escalating pressure on Russia would compel Putin to engage in negotiations and deter future invasions. He also emphasized that the proposal is not an official U.S. policy decision but a suggestion from a U.S. senator as part of a broader debate in Washington about how far to go to end the war.
Officials have not adopted this proposal as policy, and experts cautioned that such a move could escalate tensions and military actions. The discussion reflects ongoing disagreements in Congress about the best mix of diplomacy and deterrence to achieve a peace settlement.
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