President Donald Trump signed a sweeping sanctions law targeting Russian officials, banks, energy operations and oil shipments while authorizing tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy in an effort to reduce revenue supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump signed legislation Friday imposing a new round of economic restrictions on Russia and giving his administration authority to levy tariffs of up to 100% against major purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.
The measure, formally named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, targets Russian government officials, financial institutions, energy interests and vessels used to transport Russian oil while circumventing existing sanctions. It was renamed for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who spent more than a year working to advance the legislation before his death in July.
The law is intended to limit revenue and other resources available to Moscow as Russia continues its war against Ukraine.
One of its most consequential provisions reaches beyond Russia itself. The legislation requires tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on goods imported from countries that rank among the five largest purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, as well as countries that begin purchasing Russian energy or assist Moscow in circumventing sanctions. The law also gives Trump significant discretion in implementing or waiving some of those penalties.
Countries with substantial Russian energy purchases could therefore face new U.S. trade penalties as Washington attempts to reduce foreign demand for Russian exports. India and China are among the major purchasers potentially affected by the law.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the legislation as another potential means of applying economic pressure to Moscow.
“America has a chance to send the aggressor the right signal that fair pressure will be applied and the war must be brought to an end,” Zelenskyy said. “We expect Lindsey Graham’s bill to ultimately become law and its leverage to help force Russia to choose peace.”
Zelenskyy also thanked lawmakers and others who supported the measure.
The legislation had already cleared both chambers of Congress by sizable margins before reaching Trump.
The Senate approved the package 86-11 in August. The House gave final approval Wednesday in a 262-159 vote, with 58 Democrats joining 203 Republicans in supporting it and seven Republicans voting against it.
The measure nevertheless generated disagreement over how extensively the executive branch should be empowered to impose tariffs on countries maintaining economic relationships with Russia.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries raised concerns before the House vote that the legislation could provide Trump with broad tariff authority capable of producing economic consequences for Americans as well as foreign governments.
Supporters argued that targeting countries purchasing Russian energy could make existing sanctions more effective by reducing Moscow’s ability to earn revenue through international oil and gas sales. Critics raised concerns about potential effects on U.S. trade relationships and consumer costs if substantial tariffs are imposed on major trading partners.
The final legislation also contains provisions involving Iran, extending existing U.S. sanctions for another five years. That addition helped secure Trump’s support for the broader package, according to reporting on negotiations surrounding the bill.
Graham had spent more than a year trying to move the Russia sanctions legislation through Congress.
The South Carolina Republican initially introduced a version of the proposal in 2025 and continued negotiating with lawmakers and the White House over its scope. Shortly before his death, Graham returned from Ukraine, where he met with Zelenskyy and publicly said he had reached an agreement with the White House on a revised version of the sanctions package.
Graham died unexpectedly in July. Congress subsequently renamed the legislation in his honor before completing work on the package.
The legislation also takes direct aim at Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a network of tankers Moscow and associated entities have used to continue moving oil despite Western restrictions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Those vessels have allowed Russian petroleum to continue reaching international markets, making enforcement against shipping and energy transactions an increasingly prominent part of Western sanctions policy.
The new law expands U.S. sanctions affecting that network while also targeting Russian financial institutions, government officials and sectors tied to energy and defense.
Russia opposed the legislation before Trump signed it.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described additional American sanctions as “unfriendly actions” and warned that increasing economic pressure could make negotiations over ending the war more difficult.
Moscow has argued that additional sanctions are incompatible with U.S.-backed diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a settlement. Washington and Kyiv have maintained that economic pressure can provide leverage in negotiations.
The law arrives while efforts to negotiate an end to the war remain unresolved.
The Trump administration has continued contacts aimed at reaching an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, but negotiations have not produced a settlement. The administration is now combining those diplomatic efforts with a substantially expanded sanctions framework approved by Congress.
For Ukraine, the measure creates an additional mechanism for targeting one of Russia’s principal sources of government revenue.
Its effect will depend in significant part on how aggressively the Trump administration uses the sanctions and tariff authorities Congress has provided, including whether it imposes the maximum penalties against major countries that continue purchasing Russian energy.
With Trump’s signature Friday, the legislation Graham spent more than a year advocating is now federal law, placing new restrictions on Russia itself while giving the White House broader authority to impose economic costs on countries that continue providing a market for Russian oil and gas.
Original article
Comments