LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly thanked President Donald Trump on Friday for signing into law a significant sanctions package targeting Russia, a measure championed by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The legislation, which received strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, expands statutory penalties and tariffs on Moscow in response to its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to a White House statement, the new law authorizes the expansion of sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions against Russia while also extending existing restrictions on Iran. The bill passed both the House and the Senate following Graham’s sudden death approximately two months prior due to an aortic tear. Graham had been a vocal advocate for maintaining pressure on Kyiv and imposing stricter measures on the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2024, Russia’s financial monitoring agency had controversially listed Graham as an alleged terrorist and extremist.
In a message posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy described the enacted legislation as “critically important” and extended his gratitude to the senators and representatives who backed the measure. He recalled Graham’s frequent visits to Ukraine, noting that the late senator consistently emphasized the necessity of not relaxing pressure on Russia and seeking a path toward peace.
“The best way to honor Lindsey’s memory will be to implement the provisions of this law fully and swiftly,” Zelenskyy wrote. He added that the ultimate reward for those applying pressure on Moscow would be peace, stating, “Peace comes through strength. Calm comes through security. And the best guarantee of security is resolve.”
The legislation permits both primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and nations that assist Moscow in its fifth year of war. Specific targets include Russian political figures, oligarchs, financial institutions, and the so-called “shadow fleet” of hundreds of tankers used to circumvent sanctions. While the bill grants the president authority to impose tariffs, it limits this power to the top five importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries facilitating Russia’s energy sanction evasion.
Additionally, the bill includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that currently restricts funding for Iran’s energy and weapons sectors. The measure passed the House with a vote of 262 to 159. The result split Democratic lawmakers, with 58 supporting the bill while 152 opposed it; seven Republicans joined the dissenting Democrats. The Senate had previously approved the legislation last month by an overwhelming margin of 86 to 11.
Top House Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voiced opposition, arguing that the sanctions bill grants extraordinary power to President Trump. Meanwhile, Russian officials strongly criticized the new law. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that additional U.S. sanctions would complicate efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, labeled the legislation an act of “Russophobic outrage” and referred to Graham as a “dead terrorist” in a Saturday morning post.
The Democratic split is telling. Granting such broad tariff powers to the president raises serious constitutional concerns.
Does this actually change anything on the ground, or is it just more paper for Putin to ignore? I remain skeptical.
Medvedev calling a dead senator a terrorist is exactly the kind of unhinged rhetoric we expect from the Kremlin.
Wait, was Trump president when this was signed? The timeline seems confusing with the 2024 references.
Finally, some real consequences for Moscow. Lindsey Graham fought hard for this, and it is fitting to see it passed.