President Donald Trump on Friday signed the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law, enabling sweeping sanctions aimed at pressing Russia to end its war with Ukraine. The legislation was signed two days after passing the House of Representatives in a bipartisan 262-159 vote. The law is intended to starve Russian President Vladimir Putin of the resources needed to continue the war, which began more than four years ago, and push for negotiations.
The law introduces an unprecedented range of measures targeting Russian officials, banks, and a shadow fleet of tankers used to evade Western sanctions. These measures extend to Moscow's partners, including India and China, in an effort to weaken the Kremlin's war funding. While the legislation provides these harsh measures, President Trump maintains broad leeway to waive its requirements.
A central and controversial component of the act grants the president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that continue to buy large amounts of Russian oil, gas, and petroleum products. This provision sparked widespread opposition from Democratic lawmakers, who favored tougher sanctions on Russia but voiced concerns that the law allows the president to impose tariffs freely on major buyers without oversight.