Russia sanctions bill passes Senate targeting Putin's oil and gas

Key Points:

• The Senate has passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at crippling Russia's war efforts by targeting its oil and gas revenues and extending sanctions on Iran’s weapons and energy sectors.
• The bill includes targeted sanctions against Russian officials and military leaders, imposes tariffs up to 500% on Russian imports, and up to 100% tariffs on the top five countries importing Russian energy, such as China and India, while giving President Trump discretion on sanction timing.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally lobbied U.S. lawmakers to support the sanctions, emphasizing the urgency to check Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.
• Senators Rand Paul and Raphael Warnock initially delayed the bill over concerns that tariffs on major Russian energy buyers could push them closer to Russia, but Warnock withdrew opposition after assurances that tariff authority would be limited to the top five purchasing countries.
• The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, with President Trump’s support, marking one of the final legislative efforts championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.