Checklist:
- Senate passage of the Russia sanctions package
- Lindsey Graham’s long-running push to punish Putin
- Oil and gas revenue as the pressure point
- Tariffs tied to Russian imports and energy buyers
- Bipartisan backing and the road to the House
- Debate over how far tariff power should go
After more than a year of delays, detours, and constant wrangling, the Senate finally moved a sweeping sanctions bill aimed at squeezing Russia where it hurts most. The measure is closely tied to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s push to make the Kremlin pay a bigger price for its war in Ukraine, and it cleared the chamber with strong bipartisan support.
The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act is now headed to the House, with President Donald Trump also on board. The package is built around a blunt idea: cut into Moscow’s oil and gas money, and the war machine gets harder to keep running.
The momentum picked up after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed lawmakers to act, making the case for a tougher response to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The timing gave the fight an extra charge, since it came just hours after Graham’s memorial service in Washington, a moment that underscored how personal this battle had become for many senators.
On the Senate floor, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut put the scene in stark terms, saying, “Today, President Zelenskyy is watching from Ukraine, and Putin is watching from Moscow,” adding, “I would like to think that Lindsey Graham is watching, too.”
The bill goes after the financial engine behind Putin’s aggression. It targets Russia’s top oil and gas buyers, while also expanding sanctions authority over Iran in a bid to squeeze funding for weapons and energy sectors as broader negotiations continue around the Middle East.
It does not stop there. The measure also includes sanctions on Putin, Russian officials, and military leaders, plus tariffs that could reach 500% on Russian imports. On top of that, it sets up tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries buying Russian energy, including major players like China and India.
That tariff language nearly became the bill’s undoing. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon initially stalled the package over the issue, arguing that the trade penalties could trigger unwanted blowback and complicate the larger strategy.
Paul has been a sharp critic of Trump’s tariff approach, and he made clear he does not buy the idea that heavier trade pressure automatically forces Russia’s partners to back away. “These tariffs threaten to undermine America’s strategic position in the world,” Paul said. “Some naively think that the tariffs will get China to distance themselves from Russia, but it might be the opposite.
“Recent history suggests that they will instead push Russia and China together,” he continued. “China is not going to get this 100% tariff and say, ‘Oh, we’re sorry, we’re no longer going to cooperate with Russia.’”
The final obstacle came from Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who had concerns of his own before ultimately stepping aside. After a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Warnock accepted an assurance that the tariff authority would be limited to the top five countries buying Russian oil and gas.
“We should not have to choose between putting a check on Putin’s aggression and putting a check on this president’s tariff regime,” Warnock said. “That is a false choice, and it is one that I am not willing to accept.”
That compromise helped lock in the vote, but the real test now shifts to the House, where the bill will have to keep its broad support intact. For Graham’s allies, the vote is more than a procedural win, it is a sign that the pressure campaign he spent years building has finally broken through.
What happens next will depend on whether lawmakers keep their nerve when the trade fight gets even louder. The legislation has already put Russia, Iran, and Trump’s tariff authority in the same frame, and that mix is certain to keep Washington buzzing as the bill moves one chamber closer to becoming law.
