WASHINGTON -- Ukraine's top sanctions official has arrived in Washington seeking to keep alive a sweeping sanctions bill that cleared the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support but now faces a tougher test in the House of Representatives.Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's sanctions commissioner, is scheduled to meet lawmakers as Kyiv presses Congress to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.The legislation passed the Senate on August 7 by an 86-11 vote, reflecting rare bipartisan agreement.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk visits the RFE/RL office in Washington on April 15.
But the bill has yet to receive a vote in the House, where Democrats have raised concerns about provisions that would give President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that buy Russian oil and gas or help Moscow evade sanctions.Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said on August 31 that his caucus had not taken a position on the bill. Democrats are concerned the legislation could give Trump additional tariff and sanctions powers that his administration could use too broadly.From Senate Landslide To House UncertaintyThe legislation is the product of more than a year of negotiations involving Congress, the White House, and Ukrainian officials.It was championed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who reached an agreement with the Trump administration before his death in July. A bipartisan group of senators subsequently carried the measure forward.
