US Senate advances Russia sanctions bill 86-0 after Zelensky lobbies all 100 senators

The US Senate voted 86-0 on July 29 to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, a sweeping sanctions package that grants the president authority to slap tariffs as high as 200% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas. The unanimous result came one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with all 100 senators behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Zelensky’s direct appeal to lawmakers, during which he reportedly argued that Russia is losing ground in the conflict now four and a half years old, appears to have consolidated Democratic support that had been wavering in recent months. What the bill actually does The legislation targets Russia’s economic lifelines with a multi-pronged approach. At its core, the bill authorizes tariffs of up to 200% on countries and entities that are primary purchasers of Russian oil and gas. Beyond energy, the bill extends sanctions to Russian financial institutions, oligarchs, and political elites. It also includes parallel provisions targeting Iran, broadening the scope well beyond a single-country measure. The legislation is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July 2026 and had been one of t...