Graham's 'bone crushing' sanctions to hit harder than EU measures: When they could be approved
Photo: Sanctions against Russia could be approved as early as September (Getty Images)
The United States is preparing to adopt a new tough sanctions package against Russia as early as September 2026. These restrictions are expected to have a far greater impact than European sanctions, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi in an interview with the media outlet Shelter.
According to him, the package in question is based on a bill previously drafted by Senator Lindsey Graham. Ukraine expects US lawmakers to give it the green light as early as the beginning of autumn.
"It will be far more painful than the European sanctions packages," Heorhii Tykhyi stressed.
Chain reaction for Russia's economy
The adoption of the bill is expected to have a multiplier effect and encourage the international community to take additional steps. In particular, the US package could trigger a wave of further restrictions, including:
- The adoption of the EU's 22nd sanctions package;
- Tougher coordinated restrictions by the Group of Seven (G7) countries;
- New sanctions measures from other international partners of Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman also pointed to what he described as a recurring Kremlin tactic ahead of major decisions in Washington. In the past, whenever new US restrictions gained support, Moscow would immediately begin signaling diplomatic engagement in an effort to buy time.
The diplomat recalled that last year's Istanbul meetings emerged amid similar circumstances.
"Anchorage came about in exactly the same way, if you remember. Serious sanctions were about to be imposed, and they effectively derailed the process through such moves," Tykhyi added.
Kremlin's current behavior
Despite Ukraine's expectations, Russia has so far made no apparent moves to derail the current vote in the US Senate.
At the same time, Tykhyi stressed that this does not mean the Kremlin has abandoned its efforts to prevent new sanctions. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry expects Moscow to continue trying to obstruct the final implementation of the US restrictions.
'Bone crushing' sanctions against Russia
On July 28, the US Senate backed a bill aimed at tightening sanctions against Russia and Iran. One of its co-authors was late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
During his visit to the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with more than 60 US senators. He emphasized that the new sanctions bill is not only a tool for increasing pressure on the Kremlin, but also an important signal to Ukraine's European partners.
According to media reports, Zelenskyy and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were instrumental in persuading US lawmakers to support the initiative introducing the so-called "bone crushing" sanctions against Russia.
