Key Points – In a June 12 op-ed for Fox News, Senator Lindsey Graham defended his new bipartisan sanctions bill, arguing it is necessary to “break the cycle” of countries like China propping up “Putin’s war machine” by purchasing cheap Russian oil.
-The “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025,” co-sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal and backed by over 80 senators, would impose “bone-crushing” secondary sanctions, including 500% tariffs on imports from any nation that buys Russian energy.
-The legislation aims to create real economic pressure on Moscow and its partners, a move Graham views as essential to deterring “bad actors” globally.
Lindsey Graham Defends Dramatic New Russia Sanction Bill
In a June 12 opinion piece for Fox News, Senator Lindsey Graham outlined sweeping new bipartisan legislation, backed by more than 80 Senators and 70 Representatives, designed to hit Russia and its economic backers with a fresh wave of heavy sanctions.
Graham claimed that the coming days will prove “extremely consequential” for the Kremlin and those “propping up Putin’s war machine,” describing additional action from Europe and the United States as “inevitable.”
“It is clear to me and virtually every sponsor of the Russia sanctions bill that the way we deal with Putin will either encourage or deter bad actors,” Graham said.
“The purpose of this legislation is to break the cycle of China — a communist dictatorship — buying oil below market price from Putin’s Russia, which empowers his war machine to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians,” he continued, adding that the law, if passed, would “end that cycle.”
Graham’s “bone crushing” sanction package for Russia comes as retaliatory strikes by Moscow on major Ukrainian cities test its military’s struggling air defense infrastructure, and as a peace deal between the two countries seems less likely than ever to be agreed upon.
Graham’s effort has achieved an impressive bipartisan backing, with more than 80 senators supporting the legislation, split evenly between the two main parties.
The bill was introduced on April 1, 2025, and both Graham and co-sponsor Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) expect the bill to reach the Senate floor as soon as this week.
Here’s How the Bill Works
Graham’s bill goes further than existing economic sanctions against Russia, putting pressure on countries continuing to do business with the country and effectively propping up its wartime economy.
Under the legislation, if a country refuses to do business with Russia, new 500% sanctions would not apply. A carveout would be applied in the legislation for countries that provide aid to Ukraine, however, meaning that the European Union – which imports as much as 20% of its gas from Russia – would be exempt for 270 days.
If a country does business with Russia and does not provide aid to Ukraine, buying cheap Russian oil and gas or any other kinds of products, they will face sanctions larger than any imposed on foreign nations already by U.S. President Donald Trump. In Graham’s words, “they are scre***.”
The package also proposed the banning of U.S. purchases of Russian sovereign debt, barring the listing and trading of Russian-affiliated companies on American securities exchanges, and freezing the assets of Russian military and political officials. Uranium imports from Russia would also be banned, and Russian banks would also be blocked from accessing any SWIFT-like financial transaction services.
President Trump has so far urged senators to hold off from passing the bill, having hoped to make more progress on negotiations with the Kremlin. However, with Ukrainian and Russian negotiators seemingly at an impasse, it looks like the legislation could soon pass, regardless of whether President Trump backs the decision.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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