Congress Has Given Trump A "sledgehammer" To Pressure The Kremlin
- 17.09.2026, 16:47
The U.S. president will decide for himself how strictly to enforce the new measures.
A landmark bill on sanctions and tariffs, proposed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham to increase economic pressure on Russia, will reach U.S. President Donald Trump’s desk this week. The bill was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support, according to Newsweek.
The White House has already stated that advisors will recommend that the president sign this bill. Now there is only one question left: will Trump actually use it?
The bill, officially titled the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctions on Russia and Iran Act of 2026”—named in honor of the South Carolina Republican who proposed it nearly 18 months ago—targets Russian banks, officials, and Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” and also mandates that Trump impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas. Supporters of the bill have made it perfectly clear who they have in mind: China and India.
At first glance, this bill appears to grant the Trump administration broad powers to punish Russia and any country willing to continue lining the Kremlin’s coffers. In reality, however, it will serve as a test of Trump’s willingness to put pressure on Putin.
The U.S. president will retain the option to waive sanctions or tariffs if he decides it is in the U.S.’s interests to do so.
“Congress is effectively handing Trump a sledgehammer,” writes Newsweek, noting that the president himself will decide how hard to strike.
Trump already has a history of making harsh statements about new measures against Russia, only to back down later. In May 2025, following a conversation with Putin, the U.S. president did not announce new sanctions, but then, after another major Russian strike on Ukraine, he again spoke of increasing pressure. A few days later, his rhetoric changed.
Now the situation is different: Congress has already drafted a bill, and the decision on its practical implementation will depend on the White House. A particularly sensitive issue will be Trump’s willingness to use tariffs against China and India, as such measures could affect not only Russia but also U.S. relations with the two largest Asian powers.