US House approves major Russia sanctions package with broad secondary tariff powers

The US House of Representatives approved a major new package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to sign into law the most significant American legislative action against Moscow since he returned to the White House.

Lawmakers passed the measure 262 to 159, following the Senate's own overwhelming approval, 86 to 11, last month. Trump has indicated he will sign it.

The sanctions target Russia's energy and defence industries, President Vladimir Putin and senior officials around him, and the so-called "shadow fleet" of tankers Moscow uses to evade existing Western restrictions.

Crucially for global energy markets, the bill also grants Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue buying large volumes of Russian oil and gas — a measure aimed squarely at China and India, two of Moscow's biggest remaining customers.

That tariff provision proved contentious even among supporters of Ukraine in Washington. Some Democrats, while backing tougher action against Russia, objected to giving the president such broad authority over trade policy.

Gregory Meeks, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticised the bill's drafting, arguing it prioritised presidential tariff powers over binding sanctions commitments. He said he would have supported the legislation had the tariff measures been stripped out, but Republicans blocked attempts to amend them.

Despite these reservations, most Democrats ultimately voted for the bill, while a small number of Republicans opposed it on free-market grounds. Supporters say the added pressure is necessary as Russia's full-scale invasion enters its fifth year with no ceasefire in sight.

The vote came as Russian drone strikes hit civilian transport in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing five people, according to officials in Kyiv — an attack that added urgency to calls from pro-Ukraine campaigners for the bill's passage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had lobbied Congress directly to pass the sanctions, arguing that only sustained economic pressure would push Moscow toward negotiations. Speaking in Washington in July, he said Russia was losing around 30,000 soldiers a month but showed no sign of ending the war, adding that the initiative on the battlefield had shifted out of Putin's hands.

India responded on Thursday by signalling it would not change course, saying it would continue purchasing Russian oil "through diversified sourcing and on the basis of evolving market dynamics."

Russia remains one of India's most important strategic and military partners, complicating Washington's efforts to isolate Moscow economically.

The legislation also targets companies and foreign entities supporting Russia's military effort and extends existing sanctions related to Iran. It follows more than a year of delay, reflecting Trump's general preference for retaining personal control over sanctions and tariff policy rather than ceding it to Congress.

Ukrainian advocacy groups welcomed the bill's passage while urging swift enforcement. "Once the bill is quickly signed and becomes law, we hope for strong US enforcement to finally end the cash flows to the Kremlin's war chest," said Svitlana Romanko of the energy lobby group Razom We Stand.

"Every day of delay is a day we in Ukraine must bury more people."