US Senate passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill negotiated by Lindsey Graham

The US Senate overwhelmingly approves a punishing Russian sanctions package, the result of a year-long campaign by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham to reinforce US support for Ukraine and try to force Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hand as the grinding war drags on.

The bipartisan legislation, which passes the Senate 86-11, would penalize countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports, seeking to deprive Putin of revenues fueling the war. It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Capitol hours after Graham’s funeral last month.

The sweeping show of force from the Senate is the most substantial move yet during US President Donald Trump’s second term to shift the dynamic of the more than four-year war. Congress has struggled to ensure US funding and munitions flows to Ukraine, but Trump has given a nod to the sanctions package, putting pressure on the House to take it up for a vote and send it to the White House for his signature.

The bipartisan package that carries Graham’s name allows the president to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. It provides exceptions for countries that import less than 15 percent of their natural gas from Russia and are taking steps to reduce those imports.

The legislation also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and Russian energy projects. It would expand US sanctions to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing US sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

The negotiated bill also includes waiver authority for the president, allowing the White House to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that the waiver is in the national interest.