[UPDATED: Sept. 1, 6:35 pm
, Kyiv time. Clarified the terms of the bill]
A Russia sanctions bill that passed the US Senate by an overwhelming 86-11 vote is now in trouble in the House, where it faces opposition from Democrats and a lack of enthusiasm among Republicans. The bill, championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, was supposed to give President Donald Trump more leverage to pressure Moscow to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. What would Graham’s bill do? At its core, the legislation – renamed S.5025 - Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 – would allow the US president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other key commodities. The revised version marks a drop from the 500% proposed tariff on goods imports from countries purchasing Russian energy envisioned in Graham’s original bill S.1241. The revised bill, which passed the Senate on Aug. 7, also seeks to impose a 500% tariff on all Russian imports. Rather than only punishing Russia directly, the bill aims to threaten countries that keep trading with Moscow. The measure would also expand the US sanctions regime against Russian entities and people supporting the war and give the president broader tools to target Russia’s economic partners. Supporters say the threat of massive tariffs could force countries such as China and India to reduce their purchases of Russian energy – cutting one of Moscow’s most important sources of revenue.
