Graham announces agreement with White House on new sanctions package against Russia (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
U.S. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had reached an agreement with the White House on a new version of a Russia sanctions bill during a press conference in Kyiv on July 10, Suspilne reported.
“About 30 minutes ago, we reached an agreement with the White House on a version of the Russia sanctions bill that they will support,” Graham said.
“This means it will become law.”
The bill would give U.S. President Donald Trump the authority to impose tariffs and sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil and gas and financially support the regime of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, Graham said.
The bill has 85 co-sponsors and was agreed with Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Jeanne Shaheen to secure support from the U.S. administration, he said.
The purpose of the bill is to push countries that buy Russian energy to find alternative sources of supply, Graham said.
Countries will be given time to transition to other resources, but they must understand the consequences of supporting Russia, he added.
The sanctions package would give the United States additional tools to support Ukraine’s defense capabilities, including in countering ballistic missiles, Graham said.
The bill would also create mechanisms to punish countries that help Russia circumvent sanctions and profit from the war.
At the same time, Graham said there is currently no “significant support” in the United States for directly increasing military aid to Ukraine.
“Europe is willing to buy American weapons, and we need to continue selling them,” Graham said.
“We need to cooperate with Ukraine in the field of drones in our own interests. This partnership makes America safer.”
The United States must continue working with the Ukrainian military because such cooperation strengthens U.S. security, Graham said.
Zelenskyy said he had met with Graham and discussed Ukraine’s urgent air defense needs.
“Right now, it is important to strengthen our long-range sanctions pressure on Russia with new sanctions steps by our partners,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
“Lindsey briefed me on work in Congress on the relevant bill. We also discussed urgent air defense needs to protect our people. During the NATO summit in Ankara, the U.S. president and I reached political agreements on licenses for Patriot production in Ukraine. It is very important to implement all of this now at the team level.”
U.S. oil sanctions against Russia have been restored after being suspended because of the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president’s commissioner for sanctions policy, said June 26.
Graham-Blumenthal Russia sanctions bill: What is known
A bill proposing new sanctions against Russia was introduced in the U.S. Senate in early April 2025.
The document proposed a 500% tariff on imports from countries that continue buying Russian oil and other raw materials.
Graham, who co-authored the bill with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, later said the Senate planned to soon pass “crushing” sanctions against Russia because of Putin’s actions.
The Trump administration was trying to pressure Graham to significantly soften the bill, The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2025.
The bill, backed by more than 80 senators, proposed sanctions on key Russian officials and sectors, as well as penalties for countries doing business with Moscow, the WSJ wrote.
However, Trump was concerned that the measure could undermine his goal of “reviving relations between the United States and Russia,” the outlet reported.
Politico also reported that the bill on new U.S. sanctions against Russia was likely to be significantly softened before adoption.
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