The US House of Representatives has approved a far-reaching sanctions and tariff package designed to intensify economic pressure on Russia.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure into law, nearly 18 months after the late Senator Lindsey Graham first introduced it.
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Now titled the ‘Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ in tribute to the South Carolina Republican, the legislation cleared the Senate last month.
The House voted 262 to 159 for the bill, with dozens of Democrats joining most Republicans in backing the measure.
Lindsey Graham died on 11 July (stock pic)
Opponents objected in part because the bill gives President Trump authority to impose steep tariffs on China, India and other nations that continue relying on Russian oil and gas. It would also broaden sanctions targeting Iran.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk praised Congress for supporting the legislation.
“The passage… is a concrete step toward increasing pressure on Russia, its war machine, and those helping to finance its aggression against Ukraine,” he said on social media.
Mr Graham and dozens of fellow senators unveiled the bill in April 2025.
Mr Trump did not permit Republican leaders in Congress to put the measure to a vote until July 2026, just days before Graham’s sudden death on 11 July.
Since beginning his second term in January 2025, Mr Trump has largely preferred to retain control of tariffs and sanctions—key instruments of his foreign policy—rather than pursue legislation with Congress.
The Graham act passed the Senate last month in an 86-11 vote that reflected strong bipartisan backing. Its approval followed a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and lawmakers, during which he pressed for passage and unusually watched an early procedural vote from a seat in the chamber.
Zelensky Urges passage as war drags on
Mr Zelensky renewed his support for the bill in an address this week, saying it was “important that it becomes law. I thank everyone around the world who supports this approach and who knows that strength works”.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the two countries have fought the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, 6 September
In recent months, Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged strikes against infrastructure and other economic targets, seeking to disrupt the opposing war effort and weaken public morale.
On Wednesday, Russian drones hit a passenger bus and a train in southern Ukraine, killing five people.
“Limiting Russia’s revenues, especially from energy exports, is critical to reducing its ability to finance the war. The stronger the pressure, the closer we get to a just and lasting peace,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X.
House Democrats opposed the bill, arguing that it grants Mr Trump excessive new tariff powers that could be directed at US allies.
They contend that the president already possesses the authority required to sanction Russia, but has elected not to use it.
Democrats also argue that the legislation gives the president broad leeway to avoid imposing sanctions by claiming that such action would not serve the national interest.
