Graham stated that Trump had “approved” the bill following their meeting on Wednesday. The legislation, which Graham has collaborated on with colleagues from both parties for several months, aims to impose sanctions on nations engaging in trade with Russia, particularly concerning energy exports, due to Moscow’s inability to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine. Russia commenced its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“This legislation will empower President Trump to hold accountable those countries that buy inexpensive Russian oil, which is fueling Putin’s military operations. It will provide Trump significant leverage against countries like China, India, and Brazil, encouraging them to cease purchasing the cheap Russian oil that finances Putin’s brutal actions against Ukraine,” Graham shared on X.
After a highly productive discussion today with President Trump covering a range of topics, he approved the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been collaborating on for months alongside Senator Blumenthal and others.
This timing is crucial, as Ukraine is making concessions towards peace…— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 7, 2026
Graham, the senator from South Carolina, expressed anticipation for a “strong bipartisan vote” on the legislation, potentially occurring as soon as next week.
What is the ‘Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025’?
According to the U.S. Congress’s official website, the bill is referred to as the “Sanctioning of Russia Act 2025”. It outlines extensive punitive measures, including sanctions on individuals and entities associated with Russia.
A notable provision entails raising tariffs on all goods and services imported from Russia to a minimum of 500% of their value. Another stipulation requires the President to increase duty rates on all imported goods and services from countries knowingly exchanging Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products to at least 500% relative to their value.
On January 6, a European think tank reported that India imported approximately 144 billion euros worth of crude oil from Russia since the onset of the Ukraine war, estimating the Kremlin’s cumulative earnings from global oil sales since February 2022 to be around 1 trillion euros.
India has become the second-largest purchaser of Russian oil, following China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
China acquired 210.3 billion euros worth of Russian oil since the Ukraine war began in February 2022, in addition to 42.7 billion euros worth of coal and 40.6 billion euros worth of gas. The total amount China has purchased from the start of the war until January 3, 2026, reached 293.7 billion euros.
Conversely, India purchased 162.5 billion euros worth of fossil fuels—143.88 billion euros in oil and 18.18 billion euros in coal—from Russia, CREA reported.
The European Union has spent 218.1 billion euros on Russian fossil fuels—106.3 billion euros on oil, 3.5 billion euros on coal, and 108.2 billion euros on gas.
