Blumenthal stated that bill on sanctions against Russia could be passed in September
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who is one of the co-authors of the bill imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, said he hopes the bill will be finally passed as early as September 2026.
He spoke about this during a briefing, according to Censor.NET, citing "Suspilne".
Support amongst Republicans and Democrats
Blumenthal stated that the bill enjoys strong support amongst Republicans and may also receive backing from Democrats.
"This is a plan and a set of measures that stand a chance of gaining a majority in the House of Representatives. It will be extremely effective — both in terms of secondary sanctions and direct sanctions against oligarchs, financial institutions, related sectors and the shadow fleet," said the US lawmaker.
He noted that the key factor is ensuring compliance with the sanctions and the stance taken by US President Donald Trump.
According to Blumenthal, the delay in passing the bill was due to the need to obtain the ‘green light’ from the White House following lengthy negotiations with the US Trade Representative and the leadership of both parties.
"I hope that this particular bill will be passed and signed by the President. Lindsay Graham and I had different views, but we were both determined to see it passed," the senator added.
What led up to it
- It should be recalled that on Friday, 7 August, the US Senate approved a bill introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham to tighten sanctions against Russia and Iran.
- The document provides for the introduction of 100 per cent secondary tariffs against countries that continue to purchase Russian oil and gas. This primarily concerns China and India.
- The draft bill also provides for sanctions against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers, Russian financial institutions – including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation – and major state-owned energy projects, such as ‘Yamal LNG’, ‘Arctic LNG-1’, ‘Arctic LNG-2’ and ‘Arctic LNG-3’.
