WASHINGTON (Realist English). On July 10, a bipartisan group of US senators announced that they had reached an agreement with the administration of President Donald Trump on legislation to tighten sanctions against Russia.
The bill, informally dubbed the “Sanctioning Russia Act,” provides for the imposition of 500% import tariffs on goods from countries that continue to purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium and other resources.
The agreement, which removes a months-long political roadblock, paves the way for a Senate vote that could take place as early as next week.
‘Crippling’ Sanctions Against Buyers of Russian Energy
The bill’s sponsors include Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, joined by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (Republican of Mississippi) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Jeanne Shaheen (Democrat of New Hampshire).
In a joint statement, the senators stressed: “As Russia intensifies its destruction of civilians, it is critical that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price from those who purchase Russian oil and natural gas, fuelling Putin’s war machine.”
Under the original version of the bill, the US would impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other goods. Senator Blumenthal called the measures “crippling.”
The bill also gives the president the authority to impose tariffs and sanctions on states that continue to purchase Russian energy — a key source of revenue for financing Moscow’s military operations.
Breakthrough After a Year of Deadlock
The bill, first introduced back in April 2025, already has the support of more than 80 senators from both parties. However, it remained blocked for over a year due to the White House’s uncertain position and Trump’s attempts to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
The breakthrough came on July 10, after senators agreed with the administration on a version of the document “written in a way that could be supported.”
Senator Graham told reporters in Kyiv after a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky: “We have reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russia sanctions bill that they will support. That means it will become law.”
The Senate is expected to begin consideration of the bill as early as July 13, after returning from recess. The White House has not yet publicly commented on the agreement, and the details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Targets and Consequences: China and India in the Crosshairs
The main goal of the bill is to close the sanctions evasion channels through which Russia continues to earn billions of dollars from energy exports via third countries, particularly in Asia. The primary targets of the new restrictions are China and India, which remain the largest buyers of Russian oil.
Senator Graham said the bill targets five countries that facilitate sanctions evasion. As Graham put it, the bill’s goal is to “help Ukraine become more lethal; to make clear to those who support Russia that they will have to pay; and to try to find a way out, without humiliating Putin, but to end this war so Ukraine can thrive and survive.”
The bill’s passage, in the senators’ view, would also create leverage over Moscow in negotiations to end the war. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in January called the bill unnecessary, arguing that Trump already had the necessary authority.
However, the current agreement reflects a shift in the White House’s position amid Trump’s growing frustration with Moscow’s unwillingness to negotiate.
The agreement between senators and the Trump administration represents a major breakthrough after a year of political deadlock.
The proposed bill, which provides for unprecedented 500% tariffs on buyers of Russian energy, would, if passed, become Washington’s harshest restrictive act against Moscow since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.
The final Senate vote, which could take place as early as next week, will determine whether this document enters into force and what the new configuration of economic pressure on Russia and its international partners will look like.
