Introduced on Thursday, the bill was conceived by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The proposed legislation aims to reduce Russian President Vladimir Putin’s revenue sources, which lawmakers say are being used to finance the war against Ukraine.
The bill seeks mandatory sanctions targeting Russia’s political leadership, financial institutions, energy sector, and networks involved in avoiding international sanctions.
Senator Blumenthal had stated on Tuesday that the legislation was designed to impose 100 per cent tariffs on five major purchasers of Russian oil — China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan.
The version introduced in the Senate on Thursday applies tariffs on imports from countries that are among the world’s top five buyers of Russian crude oil or natural gas, or among the top five countries facilitating the evasion of Russian oil sanctions.
The legislation provides exemptions for countries, mainly European nations, whose imports of Russian natural gas account for less than 15 per cent of Russia’s total natural gas exports and that are taking significant measures to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.
The bill also requires the United States Trade Representative to review the list of the top five purchasers every 180 days and modify tariff rates based on changes in purchasing patterns.
The proposed legislation excludes the purchase of Russian uranium by the United States for nuclear reactor operations and medical isotope requirements. It also exempts activities conducted under United States-Russia cooperation in the nuclear and space sectors.
Named the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, the bill honours Graham, who died on Saturday. An earlier version of the legislation had proposed imposing 500 per cent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas.
If enacted, the measure would represent the first instance in which the United States Congress has explicitly authorised the use of tariffs as a geopolitical tool to penalise countries accused of financially supporting another nation’s war efforts.
“Until the very day he passed, Lindsey remained focused on passing the Russia sanctions bill. Passing this legislation would honour my brother’s steadfast commitment to our national security, and it would provide President Trump with additional leverage to bring this war to an end,” said Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister.
Darline Graham, who was appointed to the Senate to complete her brother’s remaining term in office, said, “I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk.”
Last month, the United States proposed imposing a 12.5 per cent tariff on 54 countries, including India, for allegedly failing to prohibit imports of goods produced using forced labour.
The proposed Senate legislation marks a significant escalation in the use of trade measures as a foreign policy instrument, with lawmakers seeking to pressure countries involved in Russia’s energy trade and strengthen economic measures aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine.
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