DOMINANT ANGLE
Kyiv welcomes the sanctions bill passed by Congress as a means of pressure on Russian energy revenues, but views it in light of the ongoing strikes on its cities.
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 Senate approval of 86 votes to 11 in August; it is now headed to Trump's desk.
- 02
The law authorizes customs duties of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, with an exemption for countries with less than 15% of Russian purchases in reduction.
- 03
Volodymyr Zelensky described the law as an "incredibly powerful tool" to force Russia to peace, following a strike that injured 20 people in Kyiv and 7 in Odessa.
ANALYSIS
Kyiv, September 18, 2026. The House of Representatives adopted on Wednesday, September 16, by 262 votes to 159, the sanctions bill introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, which was already voted on by the Senate in August with 86 votes to 11. The text now heads to Donald Trump's desk. It authorizes the US President to impose customs duties of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, with an exemption for countries that buy less than 15% of their gas from Russia and reduce their volumes. It also targets Russian officials, banks, and the ghost fleet of oil tankers, and extends sanctions against Iran until 2031.
In Kyiv, the vote is seen as part of the war effort rather than a commercial text. On Telegram, Volodymyr Zelensky judged it "symbolic" that the adoption came "on the night of a new Russian attack involving ballistic missiles, other missiles, and drones". According to him, civilian infrastructure was damaged in eight regions, including energy facilities in Sumy and Odessa, and residential buildings in Kyiv and Odessa: 20 injured in Kyiv, 7 in Odessa, including young children. He described the Graham bill as "an incredibly powerful tool capable of putting an end to this terrorist war and forcing Russia to establish peace".
This reading extends a call made a few hours before the vote: on Wednesday, September 16, after a drone strike that killed five people near Nikopol and damaged a locomotive in the Mykolaiv region, the Ukrainian President urged his partners to support the Graham bill and tighten European sanctions, judging that no concessions to the aggressor in the form of eased sanctions would lead to peace.
On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov described the vote on Thursday, September 17, as a "hostile gesture" that "will undoubtedly complicate" any peaceful settlement of the conflict. The Wall Street Journal, cited by the Ukrainian press, indicates that Trump plans to sign the text. For Kyiv, the measure directly targets the energy revenues that finance the Russian war effort, particularly through China and India, the main buyers of Russian crude.
SOURCES (3)
- Kyiv PostMEDIUM
- Ukrainska Pravda ENMEDIUM
