The US Senate approved a major Russia sanctions bill on August 7, 2026, by a vote of 86-11, sending it to the House of Representatives for the next step. The Guardian

The bill, called S.5025, would place sanctions and visa bans on Russian President Vladimir Putin and top military commanders. Sanctions are penalties that restrict a country or person from doing business, trading, or traveling. The bill would also place tariffs of up to 500% on goods Russia sells abroad. A tariff is a tax on imported goods, making them more expensive to buy. Additionally, it would let President Donald Trump impose tariffs of up to 100% on products from the top five countries that buy Russian oil and gas. The Guardian; Whitehouse Senate Office

The legislation is named for the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who died in July 2026 at age 71 after a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. Graham had been one of the loudest voices in Congress calling for tougher action against Moscow. He and Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal led 50 senators in introducing the original plan in April 2025. An updated version came out on July 14, 2026, before the bill was formally introduced on July 16, sent to a committee for review, and brought to the Senate floor for a vote. The Guardian; Reuters; Congress.gov

The Senate's first vote to move the bill forward happened on the day of Graham's funeral last month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy watched from inside the Senate chamber. Darline Graham, the late senator's sister, had been appointed to fill his Senate seat after his death and presided over the Senate when the final vote was announced. The Guardian

Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against the bill, joined by 10 Democrats. Paul and Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon proposed an amendment to remove some of the new tariff powers from the bill, but the Senate rejected that change 32-64. Wyden also voted against the final bill. The Guardian

The 86-11 margin was even larger than Graham had predicted in February, when he said he expected strong support and would "try to get the biggest vote possible." Graham Senate Office

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Trump to use the sanctions against Putin once the bill reaches his desk. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, which may take it up after returning from a break at the end of August. A similar House bill, H.R.6856, has already been introduced. The Guardian; Congress.gov

One of the bill's most important features is its approach to countries that buy Russian oil and gas. By allowing tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the top five importers, the bill gives the president a way to pressure not Russia itself but the countries that keep Russia's energy revenue flowing. Those buyers could include major economies like China and India. Reuters reported that the bill authorizes tough tariffs on both. An earlier version of the bill from July 14 had softened some of those tariff threats compared to previous drafts, suggesting lawmakers wanted to keep the pressure on without immediately sparking a trade fight with those governments. Reuters; Reuters

The 500% tariff cap on Russian exports, along with the personal sanctions on Putin and senior commanders, would add new economic penalties on top of the sanctions that have built up since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bill also includes what are called secondary sanctions, meaning foreign banks, companies, or people that help Russia's war effort could face US penalties too.

Several parts of the bill are discretionary, meaning the president has room to decide how and when to use them. Schumer's push for Trump to "use the sanctions against Putin" shows that senators know passing the bill is only the first step. Its real impact depends on how aggressively the president chooses to use these tools. The House timeline also matters: since the House likely won't consider the bill before late August, the final version could still change. If the House passes its own version rather than the Senate's, the two chambers would need to work out the differences before sending anything to the president.

Graham's death and the decision to name the bill after him gave the vote a memorial quality that may have drawn wider support. The image of Zelenskyy in the chamber and Darline Graham presiding over the vote announcement connected the personal and the geopolitical in a single moment.

The broader question is whether that momentum lasts through a House recess and the hard realities of enforcing sanctions on other countries. The Senate vote was decisive, but the legislation's real-world effect will depend on decisions still to come in the House and in the executive branch.