Ukrainian Domestic — 2026-07-28

All 100 US Senators Invited to Meet Zelensky as Washington Signals Shift in Ukraine Policy

BLUFCongress is using Graham's funeral as political cover to advance a Russia sanctions bill whose unresolved scope and executive-power provisions could complicate White House settlement diplomacy with Moscow.

All 100 US senators have been invited to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. in the Capitol, according to Reuters and multiple sources confirming to The Hill, coinciding with his visit for Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral 12. Two Senate aides told Reuters the chamber is expected to begin voting on a Russia sanctions bill championed by Graham as soon as during the visit, legislation pending roughly a year before his death this month 1. Lawmakers reduced the bill's proposed tariff on countries purchasing Russian energy from a blanket 500 percent to 100 percent to broaden support, with carve-outs for US NATO allies, while the measure has also raised concerns in Congress over new powers it would grant Trump 13. Trump has called for adding Iran sanctions to the bill, and Senate leaders said they would do so, though whether that provision will be included in the version voted on during Zelensky's visit is unclear 3. Zelensky is also scheduled to hold separate talks with Trump at the White House 3.

Analysis
Zelensky's Capitol appearance alongside a possible floor vote signals Congress may reassert an independent sanctions track even as the White House pursues its own settlement diplomacy with Moscow, though sourcing traces to a single Reuters wire dispatch reproduced rather than independently confirmed by other outlets. The tariff cut from 500 to 100 percent reflects a compromise still being negotiated, and the unresolved Iran-sanctions addition leaves the bill's final scope open until the vote itself. Provisions expanding Trump's discretionary powers create latent tension between legislative pressure on Russia and executive control over its application, a friction Graham's death has not resolved. The gathering may function primarily as ceremonial tribute to Graham rather than a deliberate policy pivot, with the vote's timing driven by his death rather than strategic recalibration.

4 sources