US Senate advances Russia sanctions bill as Zelenskyy watches Capitol vote

The US Senate took its first formal step towards a sweeping Russia sanctions bill as Volodymyr Zelenskyy watched from the Capitol gallery. The move pairs stronger support for Ukraine with a fresh Washington debate over giving the president wider tariff powers.

In Short

• Bipartisan procedural motion cleared 86-12 after months of intense negotiations
• Measure targets nations buying Russian energy with steep US tariffs
• Ukraine’s leader told senators battlefield momentum had shifted in Kyiv’s favour

The US Senate on Tuesday moved a step closer to passing a wide-ranging sanctions bill on Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy present at the Capitol for the vote. The legislation seeks to penalise countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports, after more than a year of negotiations.

The bipartisan procedural vote passed 86-12, hours after the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the bill's chief negotiator. Zelenskyy, who was in Washington to attend the service, met senators before the vote and said Ukraine was making gains in its war with Russia but still needed more help from the United States.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy went to the Senate gallery to watch the vote and waved at senators below. Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana said Zelenskyy told lawmakers that the sanctions bill "is important as a moral signal to a country that is weary and tired, though holding its own and then some against Russia".

Young said Zelenskyy's message at the Capitol was "positive" and that he spoke about Ukraine making good progress against Russia in different parts of the war. He said the bill was a "keystone in that overall effort" to weaken the Russian economy and push President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. Senator Jim Justice, Republican of West Virginia, said Zelenskyy told senators that "they are winning the war now". Justice added, "In the first year it was survival. The next three years was getting your feet under you. But now they are winning." Senator Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, said Zelenskyy told senators that "Putin would think a little bit more about trying to negotiate a settlement if the sanctions were in place and actually creating more irritation."

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, said the bill would "send Putin a bipartisan message in a language he understands". She added, "This is our best opportunity to support Ukraine. We are defending not just their country but the rest of Europe from an increasingly aggressive Russia." Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy met President Donald Trump, and the two discussed ways the US could help Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Graham and Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, had announced a deal with the White House on the sanctions legislation on July 10, a day before Graham's sudden death, likely from an aortic tear. Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where he met Zelenskyy. Blumenthal said Graham told him that the deal they had struck was a "big effing deal" in their last conversation before he died. "It's a significant part of his legacy," Blumenthal said.

The bill, backed by Graham, Blumenthal and other supporters of Ukraine, would impose steep tariffs on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports, in an effort to cut off money used by Moscow to fund the war. The five-year measure allows the president to impose tariffs on the world's top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, with China and India at the top of that list. It includes exceptions for countries that import less than 15 per cent of their natural gas from Russia and are taking steps to reduce those imports.

The legislation also proposes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and Russian energy projects. It would expand US sanctions to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to get around existing restrictions on its oil and energy revenues. The negotiated bill also gives the president waiver authority, allowing the White House to set aside sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Even so, some Democrats remained uneasy about giving Trump extra tariff powers, though the bill narrows his authority to some extent. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said in a statement with Representative Richard Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts, "It is extremely dangerous to give Trump massive new tariff powers, particularly after we've seen the disastrous impacts of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff spree." Wyden said he would move an amendment to change some tariff provisions during this week's Senate debate. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, said before the meeting that he was still undecided on his final vote because of the tariff issue and would hear Zelenskyy's appeal before making "a game time decision".

The Senate vote marked the first formal step towards a sanctions package that supporters say would increase pressure on Russia and strengthen support for Ukraine, while also highlighting debate in Washington over how much tariff authority should rest with the president.

With PTI Inputs

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