Senator Lindsey Graham announced last night that the Trump administration has agreed to support updated Russia sanctions legislation targeting countries that purchase Russian oil and natural gas, clearing the way for what he predicted will become law.
Graham, along with Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Friday they had reached the agreement after months of negotiations. “We’ve reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. It means it’s going to become law,” Graham told reporters in Kyiv, where he was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The breakthrough came as the four senators released updated legislation known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, which has attracted 85 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate. The measure aims to impose sanctions on countries circumventing existing restrictions by purchasing discounted Russian energy and then reselling it, a practice that has allowed Moscow to continue earning billions despite Western penalties.
According to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelenskyy’s commissioner for sanctions policy, Russia earned roughly $58 billion from oil and petroleum product exports to China and India in the first half of 2026 alone. “Those revenues are financing Russia’s war against Ukraine, paying for missiles, drones, and continued aggression,” Vlasiuk told RFE/RL, underscoring why the senators view the new sanctions as crucial to constraining Moscow’s military capacity.
The original version of the bill, introduced in 2025, included provisions allowing the president to impose sweeping tariffs, including a proposed 500 percent tariff on countries purchasing Russian-origin petroleum and uranium. It remains unclear what specific changes were made during negotiations with the White House, though Graham indicated the revised version addresses administration concerns while maintaining the bill’s core objective of pressuring countries that sustain Russia’s war economy.
The agreement marks a significant shift in the Trump administration’s stance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota had previously delayed movement on the bill to give Trump room to pursue diplomatic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The renewed push comes as relations between Trump and Zelenskyy have improved noticeably after months of tension; the two leaders met this week at the NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump signaled support for Ukraine’s defense initiatives, including allowing Kyiv to co-produce Patriot missile interceptors.
Graham emphasized that the legislation would give Trump a powerful tool to encourage negotiations. “We have the formula to end this war,” he said. “Help Ukraine be more lethal. Let those supporting Russia know it’s going to be a price to be paid if you keep doing it. And try to find an off-ramp, not to humiliate Putin, but to end this war so that Ukraine will thrive and survive.”
The next test comes in Congress, where lawmakers must finalize the text and determine how quickly the measure can advance toward a vote. The four senators said they expected to release the full text of the updated legislation very soon.
Sources
- Reuters — Confirmed four senators reached agreement with Trump administration on July 10 to advance Russia sanctions legislation targeting buyers of Russian oil and natural gas; Graham’s statement that the deal means the bill will become law.
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Detailed the bipartisan agreement, the 85 co-sponsors, the bill’s focus on closing sanctions loopholes, Russia’s $58 billion in energy revenues to China and India in first half of 2026, and Graham’s statements on the formula to end the war.
- Senator Lindsey Graham’s official press release — Confirmed the statement from all four senators announcing the agreement with the Trump Administration and the bill’s focus on holding purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas accountable.
