DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow denounces a text that it views as less of a commercial pressure tool and more of an attempt to deprive Russia of the funds necessary to continue its offensive in Ukraine.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The House of Representatives adopted the text by 262 votes to 159 on Wednesday, September 16, after a procedural vote of 214 to 211, according to TASS and RT.
- 02
The text authorizes customs duties of up to 100% on countries buying or reselling Russian oil and gas, targeting China and India in priority, according to RT.
- 03
The Kremlin, through Dmitry Peskov, described the vote as a hostile gesture that would complicate the search for a peace settlement in Ukraine, according to the Moscow Times and Sputnik.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, September 18, 2026. The US House of Representatives approved on Wednesday, September 16, by 262 votes to 159, the text now called the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026", named after the Republican senator who died in August, reports Sputnik. The Senate had already validated it the previous month; the document is now heading to Donald Trump's desk. According to RT, 203 Republicans and 58 Democrats voted in favor, compared to seven Republicans and 152 Democrats.
The text authorizes the president to impose customs duties of up to 100% on countries that buy or resell Russian oil and gas. It primarily targets, RT specifies, "the five main countries facilitating the circumvention of Russian oil sanctions", with China and India expected to be among the targets. The mechanism also affects the "ghost fleet" of tankers, the Russian energy and defense sectors, as well as officials and banks, with the aim, according to the Moscow Times, of depriving Moscow of the funds used to finance its war against Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the vote as a hostile gesture. "We are of course following the progress of this text. It falls into the category of hostile actions, and the imposition of additional sanctions by the United States would certainly complicate the search for a peace settlement in Ukraine," he said, quoted by Sputnik and the Moscow Times.
Beijing reacted as early as Thursday through the voice of Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun: "China's cooperation with other countries should not be subject to the interference of third parties," he stated, adding that these exchanges are based on "equality and mutual benefit" and do not tolerate "either interference or coercion".
TASS recalls that a procedural vote had first allowed, by 214 votes to 211, the final vote to take place, and emphasizes that the text also imposes secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners, in addition to restrictions targeting high-ranking political and military officials. Sputnik notes, meanwhile, that Lindsey Graham is listed by Russia as a "terrorist and extremist".
SOURCES (4)
- Moscow TimesMEDIUM
- SputnikMEDIUM
