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A bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators is intensifying efforts to pass a sweeping Russia sanctions bill, with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham stating that the Senate will begin advancing the legislation this week following talks in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The proposed legislation — the “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025“ — would impose 500% tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, a move aimed at economically isolating Moscow and halting its war in Ukraine. The bill has roughly 80 Senate co-sponsors and appears to have growing momentum, though President Donald Trump has not yet endorsed it.
“We are prepared to place Russia on a trade island,” Graham said in Ukraine. “The consequences of its barbaric invasion must be made real to those that prop it up.”
Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a co-sponsor of the bill, traveled to Kyiv this past weekend. Their visit coincided with reports from Ukrainian officials that drone strikes had damaged over 40 Russian warplanes at four military airports — a show of Ukraine’s evolving military capabilities.
Zelenskyy called on Trump to support both the sanctions bill and efforts to establish a ceasefire, urging the president to take stronger action. “We are looking for very strong steps on the part of President Trump to support the sanctions and to force President Putin to stop this war,” Zelenskyy said.
In a recent letter published in the Wall Street Journal, Graham said the Senate would tailor its sanctions response based on how Russia reacts to Trump’s request for a ceasefire “term sheet.” Trump’s request has yet to yield a public response from Moscow.
Sen. John Thune, the Republican majority leader, affirmed that there is “high interest” in passing the bill before month’s end, telling reporters, “We’re working with the White House to ensure what we do aligns with ongoing negotiations.”
Other top Republicans have echoed support. Sen. Chuck Grassley called for sanctions strong enough to signal to Putin that it’s “game over,” while Sen. John Barasso, speaking on the Senate floor in May, argued that Russia faces a binary choice: “peace or crippling sanctions.”
“Energy is the cash cow of Putin’s war machine,” Barasso said. “Cut it off, and Russia cannot continue to fight. Russia’s biggest customer is Communist China. The next is India. They will be hit hard.”
Democratic and Republican senators have shown rare unity. Sen. John Fetterman said in Boston on Monday, “We have to sanction them and hold Russia accountable,” while Republican Sen. Dave McCormick voiced support for the bill, saying it complements Trump’s vision for negotiations.
“We need Ukraine’s military success and maximum pressure through sanctions to drive a deal forward,” McCormick said.
While the Biden administration is involved in parallel talks with allies, its stance on the sanctions bill remains cautiously supportive but measured, with White House aides working behind the scenes to ensure it aligns with diplomatic efforts.
The sanctions package, if passed, would mark one of the most severe legislative efforts to economically punish Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
