US Senate advances Graham's Russia sanctions bill
The U.S. Senate advanced a sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, authored by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in a procedural vote on July 28, with 86 senators voting in favor, according to Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne.
The procedural vote allows the Senate to move to debate and consider written amendments to the bill. A final vote on passage will follow once debate concludes. The bill would then go to the House of Representatives before requiring the signature of President Donald Trump.
The legislation would extend sanctions to senior Russian officials, oligarchs and their family members, banks, financial institutions, and foreign individuals and companies that support Russia's war against Ukraine, as well as vessels belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet."
The bill would also allow the U.S. president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on imports from countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas or that help circumvent energy sanctions.
More on the bill
The bill, authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, was first introduced in April 2025 as a way to isolate Russia by turning it into a "trade island," according to its authors.
The bill had the support of 81 of 100 senators at the time but was blocked by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, at the request of the White House amid negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following Graham's death, senators introduced an updated and somewhat softened version of the bill on July 14. Trump had called for the Russia sanctions bill to be expanded to include provisions related to Iran.