Trump signs Russia sanctions bill into law: Is Ukraine peace deal at risk?

President Donald Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill into law, thereby boosting economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine; the conflict has been ongoing for more than four years, as confirmed by the White House.

The new sanction bill-turned-into-law aims to target Russia’s defence industries by cutting off the financial resources funding Russia’s military campaign.

The bill will impose strict sanctions on Russia’s energy sectors while cracking down on the covert network of “shadow fleet” tankers used to bypass existing trade restrictions.

It also includes secondary tariffs by granting President Trump the authority to levy tariffs of up to 100 percent on nations like China and India to curb their reliance on Russian oil and gas.

Following its passage in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and the Senate the previous month, the bill has been officially renamed the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026."

The legislation honours the late South Carolina Republican senator, a dedicated and long-standing foreign policy hawk who was a fierce, unwavering proponent of the measure prior to his passing in July.

However, the critics have their own concerns as they claimed that imposing tariffs on Russia’s trading partners could bring trouble as they would find themselves in Trump’s crosshairs especially in future. Because even after the end of presidency, Trump could be authorised to impose tariffs on them.

Will law derail Russia-Ukraine peace talks?

It could be a high possibility. Although there is no official response coming from the Kremlin, it is believed that Russia will see it as an act of hostility.

This week when Congress passed the bill and sent it to Trump to sign into law, the Kremlin response was confrontational.

On Thursday, Russia warned that if Trump signs the sanction bill against Russia, it would complicate a peace deal with Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ​said, "We are, of ⁠course, monitoring the progress of this document. It falls ​under the category of unfriendly actions, and of course the ​imposition of any additional sanctions by the U.S. would certainly complicate efforts to find a peace settlement in Ukraine.”

Earlier this month, US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited both Moscow and Kyiv to initiate peace talks which could lead to ending of conflict. Despite having no breakthrough, both sides showed willingness to come back to the negotiation table. However, since the visit, the conflict has escalated marked by exchange of strikes between Russia and Ukraine.