Trump Turns Up Pressure on Putin, Signs Late Lindsey Graham’s Sweeping Sanctions Bill * The Gateway Pundit * by Ben Kew

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new sanctions package targeting Russia as the war with Ukraine grinds towards its sixth year.

The move will dramatically increase the economic pressure on Moscow as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine grinds into its fifth year.

The legislation, signed on Friday, targets Russian officials, major banks, the energy and defense sectors, and the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers used by Moscow to keep its oil flowing despite Western sanctions. 

The law also gives Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.

It should place major economic pressure on countries that continue helping bankroll Moscow through energy purchases. 

China and India are among the countries that could be most heavily affected.

The measure is designed to attack the enormous oil and gas revenues that have helped Russia finance its war machine despite years of Western sanctions.

The legislation passed Congress with substantial bipartisan support, clearing the Senate 86 to 11 before passing the House 262 to 159.

It was championed by the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime backer of Ukraine who died unexpectedly in July after returning from a visit to the war-torn country.

On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump signed into law:

H.R. 5334, the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.”https://t.co/FHhNqJBVnT

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 18, 2026

The legislation has since been named the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” in his honor. It also extends existing U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump’s decision, describing the legislation as “critically important” and thanking the president for signing it.

When Lindsey Graham was here in Ukraine, he would always talk about how important it was not to ease pressure on Russia, to strengthen sanctions and seek a path to peace. In particular, in those capitals that choose to buy Russian oil, provide financial services to Russia, and…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 18, 2026

Russia launched another major missile and drone barrage against Ukraine this week, striking Kyiv and several other cities and injuring more than 20 people.

Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have increasingly targeted Russian oil infrastructure with long-range drones, contributing to domestic fuel shortages.

The Kremlin had urged Trump not to sign the legislation, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning Thursday that the sanctions would constitute further “unfriendly actions” by Washington.

Trump nevertheless put his signature on the bill on Friday as he seeks to squeeze Moscow and its all-important foreign revenues.