WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate easily passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Friday, advancing a long-delayed measure backed by late Senator Lindsey Graham and setting the stage for consideration by the House of Representatives within weeks. Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died last month, was among Kyiv's most outspoken allies in Congress in its four-year-long war with Russia, and the bill aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The bill is meant to stifle Russia's economy by allowing for tough new tariffs against major importers of Russian energy. The legislation was led by Lindsey Graham before his…

The Senate has passed a punishing Russian sanctions bill that was a top priority for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.