Editor’s note:
On August 7, the U.S. Senate passed the Russia sanctions bill. It was one of the few days this year that felt like a momentum toward real change for Ukraine.
Four weeks later, the deadline for voting in the United States House of Representatives has moved to November.
Why did this happen? Update your subscription to find out.
KYIV, Ukraine – Democrats are among the most serious opponents to new Russia sanctions that are now stalled in the House of Representatives, Bloomberg reported.
The ‘Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 2026’ is a bill that further sanctions Russia and extends U.S. sanctions on Iran, and was originally crafted by the late pro-Ukraine Sen. Lindsey Graham.
While the document enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate (passing 86-11), it is now facing serious opposition in the lower house, with Democrats unwilling to give President Trump more power and authority over the American economy.
The proposed legislation would give the president the power to impose harsh tariffs on the biggest buyers of Russian energy resources, which could mean sanctions on China, India and Turkey.
It also targets Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, Moscow’s tankers, which have continued to export crude oil to circumvent previous U.S. sanctions.
However, it does not require Trump to use these powers – only putting them at his disposal.
“The waiver in the bill is rather broad, and so the President could in theory choose to not implement any of the sanctions it contains,” Mykola Murskyj, senior advisor for Razom for Ukraine, told The Counteroffensive.
Still, Razom for Ukraine, a leading advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said that it supported passage of the bill.
“Although there are always things that could make a sanctions bill stronger, we urge the bill to be adopted as it stands. It’s strong and must be adopted,” Murskyj said, adding that he believed the bill would be “extremely effective” if implemented by Trump correctly.
After the paywall:
Who is opposing the bill
What does it mean for Ukraine
What is the main problem of the legislation
