US Senate Advances Bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill Targeting Major Oil Importers
The legislation, which cleared an 86-12 procedural vote, proposes tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top five buyers of Russian energy, including India.
The US Senate advanced a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill on Tuesday with an 86-12 procedural vote, moving legislation authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham toward final passage. The measure proposes imposing tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and energy products, a provision that would directly affect India as one of the identified buyers.
The Senate voted 86-12 on Tuesday to clear a procedural hurdle for a sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, advancing legislation that would empower the president to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the world’s five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas (AP India). India is identified among those top five buyers, alongside China, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, placing New Delhi directly in the crosshairs of a measure formally titled the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (Indian Express).
The vote unfolded hours after the funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who served as the bill’s chief architect and negotiator. Graham died suddenly on July 11, a day after announcing a deal with the White House on the legislation alongside Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut (AP India). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Washington to attend the service, met with senators beforehand and told them Ukraine is making gains in the war but still requires more U.S. assistance. He then watched the tally from the Senate gallery, waving at lawmakers as the count was read (AP India). “It was an honor to be present as the votes were counted,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “This is the first step toward implementing Lindsey’s plans, and certainly a step toward peace” (AP India).
The legislation targets the five biggest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, with the list subject to re-evaluation every 180 days (Indian Express). Beyond the tariffs on energy purchasers, the bill authorizes a 500 percent tariff on Russian goods imported into the United States and sanctions against entities helping Moscow evade existing energy restrictions (Google News India). It also extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 through 2031, preserving U.S. authority to impose secondary sanctions on non-U.S. companies doing business with Tehran, a provision added at President Donald Trump’s request (Google News India). A joint statement from Republican and Democratic senators described the agreement as a way to “stop purchasers of Russian oil and gas from fueling Putin’s war machine and to continue restricting the Iranian regime’s ability to support terrorism and build its nuclear program” (Indian Express).
Blumenthal said Graham had called the White House deal a “big effing deal” in their final conversation and that the bill’s momentum stems partly from the shifting battlefield dynamics in Ukraine and the personal weight of Graham’s legacy (AP India). Senator Todd Young of Indiana, leaving the meeting with Zelenskyy, said the Ukrainian leader described the sanctions legislation as “important as a moral signal to a country that is weary and tired, though holding its own and then some against Russia” (AP India).
The measure still requires final passage in the Senate and approval by the House of Representatives, which has already begun its August recess, making enactment unlikely before September (Google News India). The bill includes a national security waiver allowing the president to suspend sanctions if deemed in the U.S. national interest (Google News India).
AP India·Google News India·Indian Express