Senate to move forward on Russia sanctions bill
The bill would impose a 500% tariff on countries that import energy from Russia. AP
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced Monday that the Senate will soon move forward with legislation targeting Russia’s trading partners, following President Trump’s recent endorsement of the measure.
“I hear they’re doing that, and that’s OK with me,” Trump told reporters Sunday night, after returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “As you know, I suggested it. So any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned. We may add Iran to that formula.”
On Monday, Graham posted on X: “I am very pleased that with President Trump’s blessing, Congress will be moving on the overwhelmingly bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that will provide President Trump with more tools to end the bloodbath in Ukraine.”
Graham emphasized that the legislation is intended to give the president additional flexibility in pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and nations that support him, such as Iran. “I appreciate the strong bipartisan support for this legislation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate,” he said.
The bill, co-authored by Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), had been on hold for months as Trump pursued diplomatic efforts to end the 33-month conflict, including a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last August.
I am very pleased that with President Trump’s blessing, Congress will be moving on the overwhelmingly bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that will provide President Trump with more tools to end the bloodbath in Ukraine.
The legislation allows @POTUS to impose secondary sanctions… https://t.co/1yg00bor8u
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 17, 2025
Under the proposed legislation, countries importing Russian energy would face a 500% tariff, a measure designed to cut off a major source of funding for Russia’s military operations. The White House previously expressed concerns that the bill could infringe on presidential authority over foreign policy, contributing to delays in its consideration. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) recently described it as “a bill whose time has come” and indicated a vote could be scheduled soon.
Earlier this month, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest energy firms, Rosneft and Lukoil. Trump acknowledged the challenge of ending the conflict, saying the Russia-Ukraine war “turned out to be tougher than the Middle East” but expressed confidence that a resolution is possible.
China and India remain the largest buyers of Russian oil, while the European Union continued importing roughly 6% of Moscow’s crude oil exports as of June, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. France, Belgium, and Spain accounted for approximately 85% of European imports of Russian liquefied natural gas last year, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
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