Senate Advances Russia Sanctions Bill

The Senate on Tuesday advanced sweeping new sanctions targeting Russia, moving long-stalled legislation that supporters say would squeeze one of the Kremlin’s most important sources of wartime revenue.

The Senate voted 86-12, clearing the way for legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican whose death this month spurred supporters to try to get it done.

The legislation would authorize the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the largest purchasers of Russian energy, while also targeting Russian officials, oligarchs, banks and other supporters of Moscow’s war effort and vessels in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

The legislation split Democrats, with 11 voting “no” amid concerns about the bill expanding President Donald Trump’s authority to impose tariffs on foreign countries. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky cast the lone Republican “no” vote.

Negotiators in recent weeks had narrowed the measure from an earlier proposal that called for tariffs as high as 500% to broaden support. The administration would retain discretion over the precise tariff rate and could waive individual sanctions or tariffs after certifying to Congress that doing so was in the national interest.

Supporters hailed the procedural vote, taken after Graham’s funeral and a Washington visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a long-awaited bipartisan rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“With this vote, we are going to show Putin he can’t bully Ukraine,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “America stands behind Ukraine. We are going to back Ukraine, and they’re going to win and beat Putin.”

After Zelenskyy met with Trump at the White House to discuss Patriot missile coproduction and diplomatic efforts, he met privately with senators in the evening as the chamber prepared to vote. He then watched the vote from the Senate gallery.

“We are thankful that this bill is very important,” Zelenskyy said after meeting with senators. “Sanctions pressure on Russia is very important. It’s not only about how to stop financing this war. But it’s also a big signal to Europe, a big signal to Ukraine, big support of our people. So I’m very thankful.”

The visit also underscored Graham’s role as one of Ukraine’s staunchest advocates in Congress. Zelenskyy said he opened his Oval Office meeting by offering condolences over Graham’s death, calling him “a true friend of Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy returned to Washington for Graham’s funeral less than three weeks after Graham traveled to Kyiv to discuss the sanctions package with him. Days later, Graham announced the bill had Trump’s support after months of delay.

If the Senate ultimately passes the legislation before its August recess, it would hand Trump one of the most aggressive sanctions tools Congress has considered since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while cementing one of Graham’s final legislative achievements.

“There are a number of stars aligned,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the bill’s lead Democratic sponsor, told NOTUS. “Ukraine’s turning the tide, Trump’s support, Zelensky visiting, and very definitely Lindsey Graham’s passionate advocacy for it — and obviously for me they’re all important, and they’ve enabled us to come closer to the finish line than ever before.”

But several Democrats expressed concerns ahead of the vote about Trump’s tariff authority.

“The sanctions on [Russia’s] energy sector is something, definitely, I support,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Georgia), who voted “no.” “But this bill in its current form gives the president a wide margin in the continuing advancement of this tariff regime, and I don’t know that we have much evidence that he’s going to use it to do what we need him to do.”

The version of the bill that advanced Tuesday included several new provisions. It would extend existing sanctions authority over Iran’s energy and weapons sectors through 2031. Trump insisted that Iran be included in the legislation, but Blumenthal credited his new co-sponsor, Sen. Darline Graham (R-South Carolina), with the provision.

The Iran provision also has relevance for Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly urged allies to treat Moscow and Tehran as linked military partners, citing Iran’s supply of attack drones that Russia has used against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

The bill also includes a five-year sunset for the new Russia sanctions authorities.

The additions appeared intended to help address concerns from some Democrats that the bill’s tariff authorities were too sweeping, though supporters argued those fears were overstated.

The bill would also limit when the administration could lift the Russia sanctions. The president generally could not terminate them unless Moscow signed a peace agreement accepted by Ukraine’s government and ended its military campaign and efforts to subvert Kyiv.

If the president determines those conditions have been met and moves to lift the sanctions, it would trigger a congressional review period during which lawmakers could attempt to block it through a joint resolution of disapproval.

“This is not a new idea,” said Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho). “The president has finally signaled that he’s ready to go. We did negotiate some additional provisions.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said ahead of the vote that he hoped a strong showing would put pressure on holdouts in each party to agree to fast-track a vote to pass the bill before the recess.

Tuesday’s vote would not guarantee final passage. Without a time agreement, the Senate would still have to complete additional procedural steps and resolve any demands for amendment votes.

The legislation would also have to pass the House, where lawmakers have already raised separate concerns over the tariff authority it would offer to Trump.