US Congress approves first sanctions package against Russia under Trump
The measure, renamed the 'Graham Act', now goes to the president for signature. It targets energy, defense and the Russian shadow fleet.
Quick Look
- The US Congress has approved the first package of sanctions against Russia under President Trump.
- The measure, known as the 'Graham Act', affects energy, defense and the shadow fleet, now moving to Trump for signature.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The sanctions package called the 'Graham Act' was approved by the Senate in July and received the final green light from the House.
The US Congress has approved the first package of sanctions under President Donald Trump against Russia. The green light came from the House, after that given in July by the Senate to what was renamed the 'Graham Act', in honor of its promoter, Senator Lindsey Graham who died on 11 July.
The broad package of sanctions targets officials and pillars of Russia's economy, with the aim of depriving President Vladimir Putin of the financial resources needed to carry out the war against Ukraine. The measure goes to Trump for signature and promulgation.
The House, controlled by the Republicans, approved the measure with 262 votes in favor and 159 against, giving the definitive green light from Congress in what is the most significant legislative initiative against Moscow since Trump returned to the White House. The tycoon said he will sign the measure, which had already obtained broad consensus in the Senate last month with a vote of 86 to 11 in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in Washington for Senator Graham's funeral.
The law targets Russia's energy and defense sectors, Putin and other senior officials, as well as the so-called "shadow fleet" of oil tankers used by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions. It also gives Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially including China and India, in a bid to block revenue streams financing Moscow's war.
However, the broad tariff powers provided gave rise to an unusual split among Democrats: while firmly supporting Ukraine, the Democrats were skeptical of granting the president greater trade powers.
Gregory Meeks, their most senior representative on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the measure "deeply flawed," believing that White House lawyers had "drafted the text to maximize President Trump's power to impose new import taxes on American citizens and to minimize any obligation to actually impose new sanctions on Russia or its supporters."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Donald Trump will sign the sanctions measure against Russia
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What will Russia's countermeasures be?
- Will China and India reduce their purchase of Russian energy?
