In a major show of Washington’s willingness to tighten the economic screws on Moscow, the US House of Representatives has approved a far-reaching sanctions-and-tariffs package aimed at escalating financial pressure on Russia.
US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure into law nearly one-and-a-half years after it was introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The legislation, now titled the ‘Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ in honour of the South Carolina Republican, cleared the Senate last month.
The House passed voted 262 to 159 in favour, with dozens of Democrats breaking from party leaders to side with most Republicans.
Lindsey Graham died on 11 July
The new measures take aim at Russia’s energy and defence sectors and at its so-called ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers used to skirt existing sanctions.
Even as it drew broad support, the bill sparked resistance because it also empowers President Trump to impose steep tariffs on China, India and other countries in an effort to curb their reliance on Russian oil and gas, while also extending sanctions on Iran.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk welcomed the vote, publicly thanking the US Congress for backing Ukraine.
“The passage… is a concrete step toward increasing pressure on Russia, its war machine, and those helping to finance its aggression against Ukraine,” he said on social media.
Mr Graham and dozens of other senators first unveiled the proposal in April 2025.
It took Mr Trump until July 2026, just days before Mr Graham’s sudden death on 11 July, to permit Republican leaders in Congress to put the bill on the calendar for a vote.
Since returning to office for a second term in January 2025, Mr Trump has largely preferred to keep direct control of tariffs and sanctions — a cornerstone of his foreign policy — rather than relying on Congress to legislate them.
The Graham act sailed through the Senate last month, passing 86-11 with strong bipartisan backing after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with lawmakers to press for its adoption and made the unusual move of observing an early procedural vote from a seat in the chamber.
Zelensky Urges passage as war drags on
Mr Zelensky echoed that push again this week, calling it “important that it becomes law. I thank everyone around the world who supports this approach and who knows that strength works”.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the conflict has since become the deadliest war in Europe since World War II.
Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a news conference in Kyiv on 6 September
In recent months, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged strikes on infrastructure and other economic targets, efforts designed to undercut each other’s war capabilities and sap morale.
On Wednesday, Russian drones struck a passenger bus and a train in southern Ukraine, killing five people.
“Limiting Russia’s revenues, especially from energy exports, is critical to reducing its ability to finance the war. The stronger the pressure, the closer we get to a just and lasting peace,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X.
In the House, some Democrats objected, arguing the legislation hands Mr Trump overly broad new tariff powers that could be turned against US allies.
They also contend Mr Trump already possesses the authority needed to sanction Russia, but has opted not to use it.
Opponents further argue the bill lowers the bar for the president to avoid imposing sanctions by allowing him to declare that doing so is not in the national interest.
