Senate advances Lindsey Graham's Russian sanctions bill

The Senate showed rare bipartisanship Tuesday night by voting to advance a bill that would impose harsher sanctions on Russia and buyers of Russian oil than previously enforced.

The Senate is expected to vote on whether to pass the legislation on Wednesday, but voted Tuesday in a 86-12 split to end debate on the legislation and invoke cloture.

The legislation is named after the late-Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month unexpectedly and is one of the bill's cosponsors. The legislation targets both Russia and Iran and their allies, including China, according to The Hill.

“To be really blunt, China and India are the main culprits here,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told reporters. “They purchase the vast majority of oil and gas. They are fueling Russia’s war machine and they are doing us no favors anywhere else in the world.”

The vote on harsher sanctions comes as Russia and Ukraine continue fighting in Europe, in a conflict that has been going on since 2022.

It also comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with senators on Capitol Hill late Tuesday, after he attended Graham's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

The Senate is hoping to pass the legislation before it breaks for its August recess at the end of the week. The House will also need to approve the sanctions and is expected to do so when it returns in September.

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