Ukraine outpaces U.S. military in managing uncrewed battlefield warfare - Senator Lankford

After a visit to Kyiv in August 2025, U.S. Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma stated that Ukraine outpaces all other global militaries, including the United States, in managing uncrewed aerial platforms and creating advanced weapons systems. The Ukrainian military excels in both defending against drones and launching drone attacks, according to Lankford.

During his trip, Lankford met briefly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. The Ukrainian president emphasized the critical need to intensify secondary sanctions pressure on Russia. Lankford could not provide Zelenskyy with a specific timeline for when the U.S. Congress would pass new sanctions legislation, noting that the legislative schedule is beyond his control.

Lankford, a staunch advocate for Ukraine, has been pushing for the sanctions bill since the passing of Senator Lindsey Graham, who introduced it in April 2025. The bill, co-authored by Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, proposes a 500% tariff on imports from nations still buying Russian crude oil and other raw materials. However, the bill faced potential weakening before final passage.

Graham announced on July 11, 2026, that an agreement with the White House had been reached on a revised draft of the sanctions bill. On July 14, Trump announced that the sanctions package could be extended to include penalties against Iran and the Hezbollah group, saying, "Lindsey really wanted that." On July 28, the U.S. Senate took an initial procedural vote on the revised legislation with broad bipartisan support from 86 senators, though concerns remain about Trump's potential application of the broad executive powers granted by the bill, according to The Wall Street Journal.