US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, voiced strong optimism that Russia’s war against Ukraine could be brought to an end, outlining a strategy centered on increasing Kyiv’s military leverage while imposing heavy costs on countries sustaining Moscow’s war economy. “I’ve never been more optimistic than I am today that we have the formula to end this war,” Graham said in Kyiv following the NATO summit in Ankara.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to the South Carolina Republican, the path to peace requires strengthening Ukraine on the battlefield while warning governments supporting Russia that continued assistance will carry consequences. “Help Ukraine be more lethal, let those supporting Russia know there is going to be a price to be paid if you keep doing it, and try to find an off-ramp – not to humiliate [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, but to end this war so that Ukraine will thrive and survive,” Graham said. At the same time, Graham underscored the need to offer an off-ramp that would bring Putin to serious negotiations without aiming to humiliate him. “We have a magic moment in time here,” Graham said. “In the coming months, if we do this right – increase Ukraine’s lethality, get people to help us with Putin rather than propping him up – we can end this war.” Sanctions deal reached with White House Graham also announced a major legislative breakthrough, stating that negotiators had reached an agreement with the White House on a long-debated Russia sanctions bill supported by the Trump administration.