The White House has approved the latest draft of a bipartisan bill that would hit buyers of Russian oil with heavy financial penalties, two senators told CBS News. Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut both confirmed it. White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Graham passed the news to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, a Ukrainian official said. The two met in Kyiv. Zelenskyy posted on X that “Lindsey briefed me on the work underway in Congress on the relevant bill,” and one source said he has been told of the president’s approval of the tariff plan.
The bill would allow high tariffs on countries that keep buying Russian oil and natural gas. How soon they would take effect once the legislation is signed is not clear.
What the senators said
Graham, Blumenthal, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi welcomed the agreement and said they expect to roll out the legislation “very soon.” In a joint statement they said: “As Russia intensifies its slaughter of civilians, it is imperative that the legislative and executive branches work together to create tools to exact a heavy price on those who buy Russian oil and natural gas, fueling the Putin war machine.”
Both Graham and Blumenthal argued that Ukraine is turning the tide on the battlefield and that Putin has to be brought to the table. Graham said Putin’s constant attacks weigh on Trump’s thinking, and that the president has found Ukraine’s recent battlefield success persuasive.
Votes and timing
Blumenthal had no vote count yet but expects Democratic support. He also pointed to timing: oil prices have fallen since the war with Iran cooled off, which makes the decision easier to swallow. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota had told the senators he would move the bill once they had the votes. The Senate returns to Washington on Monday.
Blumenthal said the sanctions were not Ukraine’s only win this week. In his telling, Zelenskyy handled his meetings with Trump at the NATO summit adroitly, securing a long-sought license to produce and getting Trump to sign off on purchases of Ukrainian drones for US use.
