US House of Representatives passes sanctions bill against Russia

Washington. In the USA, after the Senate, the House of Representatives also voted for a sanctions law to put more pressure on Russia over the Ukraine war. In addition to direct punitive measures against Russian politicians and companies, the law is intended to curb Russian oil and gas exports, which Russia uses to finance its war of aggression.

House Democrats voted for the bill with a bipartisan majority of 262 to 159. It goes to US President Donald Trump for signature, who had previously indicated his approval. The Senate had already approved the law with a clear majority last month. The project bears the name of Senator and Trump confidant Lindsey Graham, who died in July and was instrumental in pushing it forward.

Among other things, the law authorizes Trump to impose sanctions on the five largest buyers of Russian energy sources - as well as the five countries that help Russia the most in evading energy sanctions. This could further strain US trade relations with China and India, which purchase large quantities of Russian oil.

First, the five largest buyers of Russian energy will be targeted in the year before the law comes into force. The tariffs on imports from these countries into the USA can therefore be up to 100 percent. The amount can be adjusted over time depending on a country's efforts to move away from Russian oil and gas. Who the five largest importers are should be determined every 180 days.

At the same time, there should be exceptions for countries whose imports accounted for less than 15 percent of Russian natural gas exports in a twelve-month period. There should also be exceptions for those who take measures to reduce these purchases. “Our European allies are not affected here,” emphasized Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal in mid-July.

China's state and party leader Xi Jinping is expected in Washington next week - Trump extended the invitation on his trip to China. The world's two largest economies have long been involved in a heated trade conflict.

With the law, Congress is sending a signal against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine, which he has been brutally waging since February 2022. At the same time, the law also puts pressure on his own president to influence Putin. It was still unclear in advance whether Trump would exhaust the extensive powers of the sanctions law.

During the election campaign before his second term, Trump suggested that he could bring the war to an end within a day. The USA sees itself as a mediator in the war, but so far there has been no significant progress. Trump is repeatedly confronted with the accusation that he has not yet put enough pressure on Putin because of his war.

The fact that it has now passed the House of Representatives was not a sure-fire success. Some high-ranking Democrats emphasized in a statement a few days ago that they were in favor of supporting Ukraine. However, they criticized the fact that the law that has now been passed would drastically expand the US President's customs powers. At the same time, they complained that the law does not guarantee that new sanctions will actually be imposed against Russia.

The first draft of the law was submitted in 2025. However, the project was stuck in the Senate for a long time. After the death of Graham, who was seen as the driving force behind the law, his colleagues in the Chamber of Congress pushed for its rapid passage. This took place at the beginning of August, a few weeks after his death.

Trump was asked in July whether he would sign the new Russia sanctions package if it passed Congress. He didn't give a clear answer, but did indicate support. “Well, I know Lindsey really wanted that,” the US President said at the White House at the time. “That was his concern.” Graham, who was in Ukraine shortly before his death and was able to announce progress on the sanctions package there, wanted the sanctions more than anything else and there was a good chance that they would be implemented.