US Sanctions Bill Gives Ukraine New Leverage, but Enforcement Is the Test

Ukraine has secured a new source of potential leverage against Russia after the US House of Representatives approved a sweeping sanctions package aimed at cutting off financial resources that President Vladimir Putin relies on to fund the war.

The bill targets Russian officials, financial institutions and the network of tankers used to move Russian oil while evading sanctions. It also gives President Donald Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, subject to specified exemptions.

The measure cleared the Senate 86-11 in August and passed the House 262-159 on Wednesday, sending it to Trump for his signature. The legislation is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham, who spent more than a year negotiating it and secured an agreement with the White House shortly before his death. Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, along with other supporters of Ukraine, built support for a version that could win backing from both the White House and Congress.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the vote as "symbolic," noting it came on the same night Russia launched another large-scale attack across Ukraine. He has made economic pressure a central focus of his lobbying, including a closed-door meeting with senators after Graham's funeral, where he argued the legislation was needed both to weaken Russia's war effort and to bolster the morale of Ukrainian troops and civilians.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the passage "an important step toward further pressuring Russia, raising the cost of its continued aggression, and depriving the Russian war machine of resources," adding that it was "crucial not to stop there."

The Kremlin pushed back. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said additional US sanctions would "definitely complicate the efforts to find a peace settlement in Ukraine," describing the move as falling into the category of unfriendly actions.

Kyiv has long argued that Russia will only negotiate seriously if the cost of continuing the war becomes too high. Existing Western sanctions have imposed significant costs, but Ukraine contends they have not delivered the swift, severe economic impact needed to change Moscow's calculations. The new package adds economic pressure to Ukraine's military campaign of long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure.

Analysts caution that the bill's impact depends on how aggressively it is implemented. It gives the president discretion over tariffs and the ability to waive certain sanctions under specified conditions. Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI, said the immediate benefit for Ukraine is political rather than economic, with Congress signalling solidarity through legislative support. He added that the outcome ultimately comes down to Trump's commitment, noting the president already had tools to sanction Russia but had favoured diplomacy.

That discretion has raised concerns among some lawmakers that the administration could wield tariff powers too broadly, potentially affecting US allies, or choose not to enforce the sanctions as aggressively as supporters envision. Trump has so far favoured diplomacy with Moscow, leaving open the question of how forcefully the new powers will be used.