Trump approves Russian sanctions bill to pressure Moscow over Ukraine war
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President Donald Trump has approved a Russia sanctions bill designed to pressure Moscow to end its war with Ukraine, Sen. Lindsey Graham announced Wednesday.
Graham explained this development in a post on X, calling it a significant shift in the US approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he gave the green light to the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others,” Graham said.
“This will be well timed as Ukraine has made concessions for peace and Putin has talked his way into killing innocents.”
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Senator Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Under the Russia Sanctions Act of 2025, the bipartisan legislation is designed to give Trump nearly unprecedented sweeping authority to economically isolate Russia and punish major global economies that continue to trade with Moscow and finance its war against Ukraine.
Most importantly, the bill would require the United States to impose a 500% tariff on all goods imported from any country that continues to purchase Russian oil, petroleum products, or uranium. The measure would effectively squeeze Russia financially and deter foreign governments from undermining US sanctions.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the White House on October 14, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“This bill would allow President Trump to punish countries that buy the cheap Russian oil that fuels Putin’s war machine,” Graham said.
“This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage over countries like China, India, and Brazil to encourage them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that is financing Putin’s bloodbath against Ukraine.”
Graham said the vote could happen as early as next week and he looks forward to a strong bipartisan vote.
US SOLDIERS SEIZED TWO SANCTIFIED TANKERS IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
The ship tanker Bella 1 was spotted in the Singapore Strait after US officials said the US Coast Guard was tracking an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela. (via Hakon Rimmereid/Reuters)
The move regarding the draft sanctions against Russia came after a sharp increase in the pressure America puts on Moscow. Earlier on Wednesday, US forces reportedly seized an oil tanker attempting to transport sanctioned Venezuelan oil to Russia.
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In another post on X, Graham publicly celebrated the seizure and described it as part of a broader series of U.S. interventions targeting Venezuela and Cuba.
The post also took aim at critics such as Senator Rand Paul, who opposed the bill, arguing it would harm America’s trade relations with much of the world.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
