After the White House hit Moscow’s energy sector with penalties this week, the bipartisan sponsors of a sweeping Russia sanctions package say the Senate should be ready to take up their bill.
Graham Calls for ‘Russia Week’ in the Senate
According to Politico, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally and coauthor of the measure targeting Russian oil and gas revenue, said Congress “should continue the pressure.” He floated a Senate “Russia week” to process multiple bills related to Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
In a post on X, William Browder, CEO of the Hermitage Capital investment fund, said the US sanctions “won’t seriously deprive Putin of his war dollars unless we sanction the eight refineries that buy the oil in China, India, and Turkey.”
Bipartisan Push for the Graham-Blumenthal Bill
Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have pushed for months for a vote on their plan to impose steep tariffs on countries importing Russian energy and to levy secondary sanctions on foreign firms that support Russia’s energy production.
“We have the ability to create a sanction regime that would be beyond legal challenge,” Graham told reporters, arguing Congress should go beyond unilateral executive action. He added that “Trump would be the quarterback.”
Backers of a tougher line on the Kremlin now want the Senate to follow through with the Graham-Blumenthal bill, which has more than 80 cosponsors. “I think it establishes a trajectory for passing our sanctions bill, and there’s no excuse for delay,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal Urges ‘Sledgehammer Sanctions
’In a press release on Wednesday, Blumenthal commented that this week’s imposed penalties “must be followed by sledgehammer sanctions like the Graham-Blumenthal Sanctions bill to halt China, India, Brazil, Hungary and others from buying oil and gas,” calling such measures “strong, scorching sanctions [that] will end Putin’s slaughter and bring him to negotiating an end to his assault.”
He warned that otherwise “Putin will stonewall and slow-walk America.”
Graham and Blumenthal also suggested the Senate could bring up additional measures, including legislation to repurpose frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
Kyiv Presses for Swift Action
On Friday, Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, met with Graham to press for swift passage.
“In particular, we talked about key legislative initiatives (co-sponsored by the senator) that aim to increase pressure on Russia, including a bill to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism if it fails to return abducted Ukrainian children,” Stefanishyna said.
The meeting underscored Kyiv’s push to align Senate action with the administration’s sanctions drive.
Senate Leaders Coordinate with the White House
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) signaled last week he was prepared to advance the long-stalled package, predicting it could reach the floor within a month, but he sounded more cautious on Thursday, Politico reported.
“As you know, I’ve been interested for some time in getting the sanctions bill up on the floor,” he said.
Thune and Graham have been working with the White House to resolve technical issues, but momentum slowed after Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin Thursday, Oct. 16 and announced plans for a summit in Hungary. Those plans have since collapsed, and the Treasury Department responded Wednesday by sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies.
Asked whether Trump supports the bill, Thune replied that, in a “general matter, yes,” the White House is on board, while adding there are provisions the administration wants to incorporate and that “we’re in conversation with them.”
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, speaking off the floor Thursday, said the Senate should move “a strong, tough sanctions bill.”