The Senate on Tuesday night advanced a sweeping Russia sanctions bill as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky watched the vote from the Senate gallery.
Zelensky was in town for the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, after whom the legislation was named. The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 would also extend sanctions already in place on Iran, as President Trump asked senators to add Iran sanctions to the bill, saying it’s what “Lindsey would have wanted.”
The procedural step to advance the bill passed in an 86-12 vote, with 11 Democrats opposing the bill over concerns it would give Trump too much power to impose tariffs, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) being the lone Republican no vote.
The legislation would impose sanctions on Russian officials and companies and would also give President Trump the power to impose 100% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy, with carve-outs for US NATO allies. The initial bill that Graham was pushing last year would have required 500% tariffs.
Ahead of the vote, Zelensky met with a large bipartisan group of senators and addressed Democratic skepticism about the tariffs, arguing that the measures were necessary because Russia has been able to circumvent sanctions, according to Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio.
The bill is unlikely to impact Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has escalated in recent months in response to an increase in long-range Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia.
