A bipartisan group of US senators reached an agreement with the Trump administration on Friday, July 10, to advance long-delayed legislation aimed at imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and nations supporting Moscow's war economy.
The legislative breakthrough occurred as Republican Senator Lindsey Graham visited Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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The updated bill targets loopholes allowing Russia to evade Western sanctions by selling energy through third countries.
"We've reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support.
It means it's going to become law," said Graham, a Republican Senator from South Carolina, to reporters in Kyiv.
The legislation, known as the Sanctioning Russia Act, has been under negotiation for months by Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, along with Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
"As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine," said the four senators in a joint statement.
The revised bill focuses specifically on five countries that circumvent sanctions by purchasing discounted Russian energy for resale.
The original 2025 version included a proposed 500 percent tariff on countries purchasing Russian-origin petroleum and uranium.
"This bill has 85 co-sponsors," said Graham regarding the bipartisan Senate support.
