Trump signs Russia sanctions bill targeting energy buyers

President Trump signed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill Friday that gives him authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian energy, a measure aimed at pressuring Moscow to end its war in Ukraine while extending penalties on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 became law after the House passed it this week with bipartisan support. The Guardian reported the House vote was 262-159 and came two days before Trump signed the bill. The Senate approved the legislation in August, though some Democrats raised concerns that it would expand the president’s tariff powers.

The law is named for the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who championed the measure before his sudden death in July. Graham had recently returned from a trip to Ukraine when he died in Washington from a torn aorta. He was 71. Trump delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

The legislation allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas. China and India, the largest buyers of Russian crude oil, would be among the foreign countries most affected. Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept. 24.

The bill also sanctions Russian President Vladimir Putin, his government officials, oligarchs, and Russian banks and financial institutions. It imposes new sanctions on Russian political and military officials and foreign networks accused of helping supply Russia’s war effort and evade existing sanctions, according to The Guardian.

The Guardian also reported that the measure targets Russia’s fleet of “shadow tankers,” which have enabled the country to continue shipping crude around the world despite existing sanctions on its energy exports.

The Trump administration had previously been doubtful about imposing additional sanctions on Moscow, The Guardian reported, but shifted its stance after repeated efforts to end Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine stalled. The law is intended to reduce Russia’s ability to fund the war by targeting oil and natural gas revenue, as well as countries that continue buying Russian energy.

The measure gives Trump broad discretion over how it is enforced, including which countries could face tariffs, what tariff rates could be applied, and whether sanctions provisions can be waived for certain countries. Many Democrats criticized those provisions, saying they gave Trump excessive authority to use tariffs. The Guardian reported that the concerns came after Trump had imposed tariffs on multiple countries despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring him from doing so under the 1977 Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Russia’s war in Ukraine continues without a clear end. Earlier this month, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Trump has voiced frustration that he has not been able to end the war despite campaign pledges to do so by his first day in office.

“The holdup is two people that hate each other,” Trump said after speaking with Putin. “I think more than anything else, it’s two people that hate each other.”

The global oil crunch caused by the U.S. war with Iran initially benefited Russia, CBS News reported. Early in that war, the Trump administration temporarily allowed purchases of Russian oil that was already at sea.