The House must turn the screws on Putin

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now in its fifth year. Although Ukraine is taking the fight to Moscow, striking deep inside Russia and slowly retaking territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shown any willingness to end the war. Instead, Russia is intensifying its attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

In July and August, Ukraine suffered its highest monthly civilian casualty tolls since March 2022, driven largely by Russia’s escalating missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian population centers. With air-defense interceptors in short supply globally, Ukraine has fewer options to protect its population from this aerial onslaught.

Winter is approaching, and Ukraine could once again face a humanitarian crisis. Russia routinely targets energy grids and other critical infrastructure necessary to keep the lights and heat on. If Russia continues its aerial campaign, Ukrainians may face the deadliest winter of the war.

Putin’s calculation is straightforward: He believes Russia can sustain the war longer than Ukraine and the West can resist it. Changing Putin’s calculation requires raising the economic cost of continuing Russia’s aggression and depriving Moscow of the resources it needs to fight.

Congress has the opportunity to apply that pressure now. The bipartisan, bicameral Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which passed the Senate in August overwhelmingly 86-11, offers Congress its strongest opportunity to tighten the economic screws on Putin. This legislation has........

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