Trump signs new Russia sanctions bill

Moscow has warned that the measure could complicate Ukraine peace efforts and drive US fuel prices higher

US President Donald Trump has signed sweeping legislation expanding the sanctions on Russia and authorizing tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy. Moscow warned that additional sanctions would complicate efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict and could further destabilize the energy markets.

In a statement on Friday, the White House announced that Trump approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, after the Senate passed it 86-11 in August and the House passed it 262-159 on Wednesday.

The legislation targets senior Russian officials, banks, defense and energy entities, as well as what Western countries refer to as Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of ships. It also empowers Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian crude oil and natural gas.

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The text, however, does not explicitly name major Russian energy buyers such as China or India, and the tariff rate can be set below the 100% ceiling.

The measure was initially proposed by late Republican Senator and Russia hawk Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal in April 2025. The original proposal threatened 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy, but after more than a year of negotiations with the White House, the figure was cut to 100%.

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The bill also grants Trump broad waiver powers, allowing him to suspend sanctions according to national interests and giving his administration wide leeway in setting tariff rates – one of the key points of negotiations between the White House and lawmakers, as some feared that the legislation would give Trump too much power.

The Trump administration recently eased sanctions on Russian oil. During the Iran war, the administration issued temporary exemptions allowing the sale and delivery of Russian oil already at sea to alleviate pressure on the energy markets.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Thursday that the “unfriendly” move “would definitely complicate efforts to find a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.”

The Russian Embassy in Washington argued that blocking Russian energy trade while Middle Eastern supplies are disrupted could prove costly for the US, calling it an “invitation to ever-higher prices at the pump.” It also warned that simultaneously escalating tensions with Moscow and Beijing would be a geopolitical lose-lose situation and would “only play into the hands of Euro-Atlantic warmongers.”