The US Senate has approved a comprehensive sanctions package targeting Russia and countries that continue to purchase Russian energy. With a vote of 86–11, the proposal received strong bipartisan support and now moves on to the House of Representatives.
If the law is ultimately passed, new economic and diplomatic measures against Moscow will follow. Among other things, sanctions and visa bans are proposed for Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and high-ranking military commanders. Russian exports could also be subject to tariffs of up to 500 percent.
A central part of the proposal also targets other countries. US President Donald Trump would have the ability to impose tariffs as high as 100 percent on goods from nations that are among the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas.
The vote has taken on particular symbolic significance because, for a long time, the bill was one of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s top political projects. Graham was one of Washington’s most prominent and persistent advocates for significant US support to Ukraine and a tougher stance against Russia.
READ MORE: US Proposal: 500 Percent Tariffs for Countries Buying Russian Energy
Since the Russian invasion began, he repeatedly pushed for stronger American measures, stricter sanctions, and increased support to Ukraine. His commitment also extended far beyond congressional votes. Graham traveled to Ukraine, met with the country’s leadership, and made the war a recurring theme in his political agenda.
In his final days, he continued to work intensively to pass the sanctions package, which he saw as an important tool to increase economic and political pressure on Russia.
The Senate’s approval of the bill, after months of political negotiations, has thus taken on the character of a tribute to Graham’s long-standing fight for Ukraine and his hard stance against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
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Graham suddenly passed away last month, aged 71, shortly after a trip to Ukraine. After his death, Senate leadership agreed to try to move the bill forward and simultaneously honor his commitment to Ukraine.
The proposal has since been named the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act. The Senate took its first step toward pushing the process forward as early as last month, on the same day Graham was buried.
“Every day that Putin gains more time, more Ukrainians are killed.
This legislation is what President @ZelenskyyUa asked us to do, and what Senator Graham worked so hard to achieve.” –@SenatorShaheen pic.twitter.com/x5oJjtYRAY
— Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) August 7, 2026
Despite the bill’s primary aim of pressuring Russia, there’s a clear conflict regarding the expanded powers for the American president to use tariffs.
Kentucky Republican Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote no. Ten Democrats did the same. One of the most prominent critics was Democrat Ron Wyden, who warned that the law would give Trump too much authority.
Wyden and Paul sought to add an amendment that would have limited the president’s new tariff powers. However, the proposal fell by a vote of 32–64.
According to Wyden, President Trump would have significant discretion to determine which countries are affected by the tariffs and which can be exempted. He also pointed out that Trump could change tariff levels at intervals without Congress having a clear way to revoke the decisions.
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The criticism has received support from leading House Democrats. Gregory Meeks and Don Beyer described the proposed tariff powers as very far-reaching and warned they could be used as a tool in Trump’s already extensive trade policy.
At the same time, there is broad support among Democrats for the goal of increasing economic pressure on Russia.
Zelenskyy: “Peace Through Strength”
The sanctions have also received support from Ukraine’s government. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the American Senate after the vote, writing on social media that the decision helps to increase pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine.
“Thank you to everyone who understands this and promotes PEACE through STRENGTH,” he wrote among other things.
EU Leader: “Let’s Drain Russia’s Funds”
The decision was also welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who emphasized that coordinated American and European sanctions can reduce Russia’s ability to finance the ongoing war.
“Let’s drain Russia’s funds,” she wrote, among other things.
However, the Senate’s decision is not the final step. The bill now moves on to the House of Representatives, where it could be taken up after Congress returns from its summer recess at the end of August.