A Russia sanctions bill that stalled in Washington for more than a year now has enough co-sponsors to clear a key Senate hurdle, Axios reported. US Senate leadership formally introduced the measure days after the death of its author, the late Senator Lindsey Graham, and US President Donald Trump has signaled he is open to signing it.
The votes are finally there
Senate Republican leaders have gotten behind the bill, with Majority Leader John Thune signing on as a co-sponsor, RFE/RL reported. Senators formally introduced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 on 16 July, after months of talks with the White House and Ukraine advocates.
The bill now carries at least 61 co-sponsors, 39 Republicans and 22 Democrats, a person familiar with the count said. Both Republicans and Democrats are among its lead sponsors. Supporters believe those 60-plus names would give them a filibuster-proof majority on the floor.
What the bill would do
The bill would let Washington impose tariffs as high as 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian crude and gas. That points squarely at China and India, whose purchases keep the revenue flowing that pays for the war.
It would also blacklist Russia's shadow fleet, the aging tankers that move sanctioned crude around Western restrictions. The 100% framework replaces an earlier plan for a blanket 500% tariff, reworked over months into something narrower.
The bill orders both primary and secondary sanctions, reaching Russia's leadership, its banks, its energy sector, and the networks it uses to dodge existing curbs.
“Incredible legacy for him”: Days after Graham’s death, Trump says he’s ready to move on his Russia sanctions bill
Trump has stopped short of a full endorsement but signaled he may sign it as a tribute to Graham.
"So, we're looking at that, but they're seriously thinking it, and this is in honor of Lindsey. This was his thing. He wanted this more than any other thing.," Trump said this week.
US Senator Graham died day after his last visit to Kyiv. His Russia’s “sanctions from hell” bill loses its architect at moment it might pass
The author
Graham died at 71, a day after his last trip to Kyiv, having spent more than a year building support for what he called sanctions "from hell." His sponsors say he had locked in White House backing just before his sudden death.
Read also
-
“Incredible legacy for him”: Days after Graham’s death, Trump says he’s ready to move on his Russia sanctions bill
-
US Senator Graham died day after his last visit to Kyiv. His Russia’s “sanctions from hell” bill loses its architect at moment it might pass
-
Ukrainian surrender to Putin would “haunt us all,” says Republican senator Graham
