US President Donald Trump signed a law on Friday imposing new sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, targeting the Russian energy sector in particular.
It is the first major legislative move by the US Congress against Russia since Trump returned to the presidency. The law bears the name of its lead sponsor, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July and was a fervent supporter of Ukraine and critic of Russia.
The new sanctions package targets Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" for the first time, while also including measures against Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.
It also gives Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India.
The signing came just days before Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
The bill was approved by the House of Representatives on Thursday, having already passed the Senate in August.
In recent weeks, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv and Moscow as part of efforts to revive dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the law, calling it on X "an extremely powerful tool, capable of ending this war of terror and pushing Russia to make peace."
"Sanctions must be strict in order for all peace efforts to succeed, including our joint diplomatic efforts with the US, Europe and our other partners," he added.
India said on Thursday that it intends to continue diversifying its oil supply sources. New Delhi continues to import Russian oil despite US sanctions.
Source: Cyprus News Agency (CNA)
