The US Senate has approved the bill “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026”, which provides for strengthening sanctions against Russia and Iran, as well as the possibility of introducing up to 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Now the document should go to the House of Representatives.
This was reported by Reuters.
According to the publication, during the final vote, the bill was supported by 86 senators, 11 voted against. Only one Republican senator, Rand Paul from Kentucky, opposed the document. After the results of the vote were announced in the Senate, applause was heard, and the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, Darlene Graham, who was appointed to temporarily represent South Carolina in the Senate, announced the final result.
The bill was initiated by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who was one of the most active supporters of Ukraine in the US Congress. Graham died on July 11. His colleagues continued work on the bill after his death.
The document provides for the introduction of sanctions against Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign individuals, Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian “shadow fleet”.
A separate block of the bill concerns tariffs. If the document is approved by the House of Representatives and signed by President Donald Trump, it will allow the head of state to introduce tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that are large consumers of Russian energy resources. These countries include China, India, Japan and some countries of the European Union.
The bill’s authors say the tariffs should target the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, as well as five countries that help Russia circumvent energy sanctions. The US president would have the right to decide when to lift the tariffs.
Before the final vote, the Senate rejected an amendment proposed by Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democrat Ron Wyden that would have stripped the bill of the president’s authority to impose tariffs.
Rand Paul compared the tariffs to taxes on American consumers.
“Raising taxes on Americans will not end Putin’s war in Ukraine,” he said before the vote on the amendment.
Supporters of the bill say the tariffs would reduce Russia’s energy exports, which are used to finance the war in Ukraine. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said:
“These tariffs have one purpose: to make it more expensive for countries to continue buying Russian energy to fund Putin’s war.”
The bill also includes a provision that would prevent the termination of sanctions powers against Iran related to restrictions on financing its energy and weapons sectors.
The document must be considered in the House of Representatives. Republicans control a narrow majority in both the House and the Senate. At the same time, the bill’s prospects for passage through the House of Representatives remain difficult due to concerns among some lawmakers about the possible impact of the president’s new tariff powers on American importers and consumers.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended Lindsey Graham's funeral in Washington and met with Donald Trump, said that the sanctions legislation could affect Russia's ability to finance the war and would be a signal of support for Ukraine from the United States.
"This is also a big signal for Europe, a big signal for Ukraine, a big support for our people, so I am very grateful," Zelensky said.
The bill on sanctions against Russia and Iran was first introduced to Congress in April 2025. Before his death, Graham reported that he had reached an agreement with Trump to advance the bill.
Photo: ua.depositphotos.com
Author: Danylo Pievchev