WASHINGTON -- The US Senate on August 7 overwhelmingly approved legislation aimed at tightening economic pressure on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, advancing a measure that could give President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The Senate voted 86 to 11 to pass the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” which would impose sanctions on Russian officials and authorize steep tariffs on China, India, and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.
The long-delayed measure was named in honor of Graham, the late Republican senator from South Carolina, who had championed tougher measures against Moscow for years. The Senate vote came after months of negotiations over how aggressively to target Moscow's war economy.
The bill targets Russia's financial sector, political leadership, oligarchs, and energy revenues. It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran, including its weapons and energy industries.
A central provision of the bill would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from countries that continue buying large amounts of Russian oil and gas.
The measure now goes to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where its tariff provisions are likely to face scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans.
The Senate's vote came just weeks after Graham's unexpected death at the age of 71 and after lawmakers reached a bipartisan agreement on July 28 to revive the legislation.
'Unmistakable Message' To Moscow
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, said the legislation would demonstrate that Washington will continue to support Ukraine and not be deterred by Russian pressure.
"Thugs like Putin don't care about what we say, only about what we do," Schumer said on the Senate floor, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin was testing Western resolve and citing intelligence reports of potential Russian threats to NATO. "If we want to stop the bloodshed Russia unleashed on Ukraine, we have to make it clear to Putin that he's fighting a losing battle.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said Russia's energy revenues were allowing the Kremlin to sustain the over four-year war.
“Ukraine is now the largest conflict, literally, since World War II in Europe," Thune said in a recent floor speech. If Putin has Russian oil and gas revenue, he said, "he's able to continue this war.”
Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a co-author of the legislation, said the measure would target Russia's so-called shadow fleet and countries buying discounted Russian crude.
He said the vote demonstrated that bipartisan cooperation remained possible on major national-security issues. "We can still work together for the right causes to accomplish the right results," Blumenthal said.
Tariff Powers Draw Senate Opposition
The most contentious issue was the bill's tariff authority.
Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon sought to remove provisions allowing tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries buying Russian energy. Their amendment failed.
"Do not let sympathy for Ukraine blind you to the reality of tariffs," Paul said.
Wyden warned that the provisions could have broad economic consequences for Americans, calling the tariffs an "economic wrecking ball."
The dispute highlighted a wider debate over whether Washington should rely on traditional sanctions or give the president broad new tariff powers to pressure Russia and its energy customers.
Senator Katie Britt, Republican of Alabama, defended the measure, saying the Senate had a "steel spine."
"This was the way to hit Putin where it hurt most," Britt said, arguing that Russia's energy revenues were central to its ability to finance the war.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opposed Paul's amendment, arguing that the tariff authority was narrowly targeted and necessary to increase pressure on Putin and push him toward negotiations.
House Democrats Raise Concerns
The legislation faces a more difficult path in the House, where Democrats have objected to the scope of the tariff authority and the president's ability to waive sanctions.
Representatives Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Don Beyer, a senior Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, said the Senate vote had not resolved their concerns.
They argued that Trump already has broad authority to sanction Russia but that the bill would give him sweeping new tariff powers.
The lawmakers pointed to Trump's use of tariffs against US trading partners and warned that the new authority could damage alliances and increase costs for Americans.
They said the failed Paul-Wyden amendment showed that concerns over the tariff provisions remained significant.
"We welcome our Senate colleagues' urgent effort to support Ukraine and punish Russia for its continued illegal war, but this bill would not achieve those goals," Meeks and Beyer said in a joint statement.
They called the current text unacceptable but said they remained willing to negotiate.
Experts See Flaws, But Say Bill Provides Leverage
Daniel Fried, a veteran US diplomat who served as the State Department's first coordinator for sanctions policy from 2013 to 2017, said the bill had shortcomings but could still give Washington a useful tool.
"The bill has flaws," Fried told RFE/RL, adding that tariffs would not have been his first choice for putting pressure on Russia. "Were I in my old job, I could make good use of it," he said.
Fried also cautioned that congressional approval would be only the beginning.
"Then comes implementation," he said, arguing that Congress and interested parties would have to continue pushing for enforcement.
His comments point to one of the central uncertainties surrounding the legislation: whether the administration would use the new authorities aggressively enough to materially affect Russia's ability to finance the war.
Kyiv Welcomes Senate Vote
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's commissioner for sanctions policy, welcomed the Senate vote as a sign of continued bipartisan support for the country.
"The Senate vote sends a strong signal from the American people: Russia must face a much higher price for its aggression, and support for Ukraine remains strong," Vlasiuk told RFE/RL.
"We now look forward to the bill's passage by the House and its final approval by Congress," he said.
The advocacy group Razom for Ukraine also welcomed the vote.
Daniel Balson, the group's director of advocacy, said Ukraine's battlefield successes and continued Russian attacks on civilians had increased pressure on Congress to act.
"This marks the second piece of pro-Ukraine legislation to pass a chamber of Congress in just over two months," Balson said.
The White House has signaled support for the legislation, potentially strengthening its prospects among House Republicans. But opposition to the tariff provisions could force further negotiations before the measure can reach Trump's desk.
