MOSCOW – US President Donald Trump has signed into law a sweeping sanctions package targeting Russia over its war in Ukraine, days after Congress sent the bill to the White House with rare bipartisan support.
Signed on Friday, the legislation, known as the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, honours the late Republican senator who spent more than a year negotiating it before his sudden death in July. It was co-written with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The bill sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior officials and oligarchs, along with Russian banks and financial institutions. It also targets Moscow’s energy and defence sectors and the so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to move Russian oil around Western sanctions.
A key provision gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, a measure expected to fall hardest on China and India, the top two importers of Russian crude. The bill separately extends sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors. The bill passed the Senate in August and the House on Wednesday, with 58 Democrats crossing party lines to back it. It marks the first major Ukraine-related bill to clear Congress in more than two years.
Supporters say the aim is to starve the Kremlin of the funds sustaining its war effort and push Putin towards negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had lobbied lawmakers ahead of the vote, called the legislation “an extremely powerful tool”. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill placed “maximum pressure” on what he called “the Russian war machine”, while Blumenthal said he hoped it would help bring Moscow to the table, telling Putin: “We have your number”.
Not all Democrats were on board. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the bill, warning that its tariff powers would raise costs for American families and calling its sanctions provisions full of “loopholes”. India, one of the countries most exposed to the new tariff threat, said this week that it “remains firmly committed to ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people”. Trump’s decision comes about a week before he is due to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. (Aljazeera)
