On Tuesday night, July 29, 2026, the U.S. Senate advanced a bipartisan bill designed to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and buyers of Russian oil and gas than previously enforced, while also extending existing sanctions on Iran. The legislation aims to economically pressure both countries amid ongoing military conflicts.

The bill, co-authored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), has garnered strong bipartisan support over the past year as a means to further penalize Russia for its war in Ukraine. President Trump recently approved a version of the legislation, requesting increased sanctions on Iran be included.

Senator Blumenthal stated the measure targets China and India for financing Russia’s war through their purchases of Russian energy, bluntly calling them "the main culprits here."

Senator Roger Wicker commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin's disregard for human life, saying, “If we’ve learned anything about the Russian despot Vladimir Putin over the course of this war, it’s that the slaughter of civilians and even his own Russian troops gives him no pause.”

The Senate's approval followed a visit to the Capitol by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and came hours after a memorial service for Senator Graham.

However, some Democrats expressed concerns that the bill legitimizes Trump’s tariff authority, which was previously rejected by the Supreme Court, and criticized the sanctions as insufficiently strong. Senator Raphael Warnock said, “We have to hold Putin to account. But this bill in its current form gives the president a wide margin in the continuing advancement of his tariff regime, and I don’t have much evidence that he’s going to do what we need him to do.”

Tuesday’s vote is the first step in a series of approvals needed before the bill can be sent to the House, with expectations that the strong bipartisan momentum will carry it through before the August recess.

Sources