On Friday, the U.S. Senate approved by a majority vote a sweeping sanctions bill against Russia, based on initiatives by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, Reuters reports.
"As voting continued, the tally was 68 to 9 in favor of the 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,' which would impose sanctions on Russian officials and authorize stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas," the statement reads.
The bill is intended to increase economic pressure on Moscow amid the ongoing war against Ukraine and grant the U.S. president new authority to impose tariffs.
According to the text of the document, the U.S. president will be able to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that remain the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas or that facilitate the circumvention of sanctions. Specifically, this refers to countries such as China, India, Japan, and certain European Union member states. The authors of the legislative initiative emphasize that the restrictions will apply only to the top five importers and companies that help evade sanctions, which will minimize the negative impact on the U.S. economy.
The bill is now headed to the House of Representatives for consideration, where debate could begin as early as next month. Despite significant support in the Senate, the bill may face reservations from some lawmakers who fear rising costs for American consumers due to the president's new tariff powers. Meanwhile, during his visit to Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the passage of this bill would send a powerful signal of support for the Ukrainian people and undermine Russia's ability to finance its military operations.
