Big Russia shake-up in the United States – “It’s time for Vladimir Putin to pay”

The push forward with the draft sanctions package against Russia has been widely praised among foreign policy commentators.

On Tuesday night, Finnish time, the US Senate voted 86-12 in favor of moving the draft sanctions package that will eat into Russia’s war chest to law, ABC News, Politico and The New York Times report, among others.

The sanctions package, prepared across party lines and named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, would impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian oil, according to the Atlantic Council. The sanctions include several Russian politicians and oligarchs, as well as ships of the shadow navy. The long-prepared draft also includes sanctions against Iran, which were added in the final stages of drafting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with US President Donald Trump, attended Graham’s funeral and watched the Senate session from the ground, thanked US senators profusely for their support for Ukraine.

“We are grateful to the senators and we are grateful for this discussion. The discussion included details on how to help Ukraine. We are grateful that this bill puts very important sanctions pressure on Russia. It is not just about money, but it is also a big signal to Europe, a big signal to Ukraine, a big support for our people. So I am very grateful that, God willing, we will get positive results,” Zelensky said.

“It is time for Vladimir Putin to pay”

The lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, is in recess until August 31, so the bill is unlikely to end up on Trump’s desk until the House of Representatives takes it up after its recess.

For example, MEP Mika Aaltola (Kok) considers the bill’s passage “almost certain.”

The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee tweeted on the messaging service X that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “time to pay”:

In addition to the progress of the Russia sanctions package, military and diplomatic cooperation between the United States and Ukraine also took steps forward.

Trump agreed to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, and according to Reuters and the Financial Times, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are preparing a trip to Ukraine to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Analyst Aleksandar Djokic, who closely follows Russia, points out that the aforementioned duo have repeatedly visited Moscow, but never once in Ukraine.

“The visit would mark a significant diplomatic shift, as Kiev would gain direct access to two of Trump’s closest foreign policy advisers and Moscow would lose its privileged position,” Djokic describes.

Not all praise

The Russia sanctions package has not been all praise. The bill increases Trump’s control over tariffs, which Democrats have strongly criticized.

Politico cites House Democratic Representative Richard Neal and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden as warning about the matter as soon as the bill was released.

“It is extremely dangerous to give Trump vast new tariff powers, especially after we have seen the devastating effects of his corrupt, chaotic, and inflationary tariff regime,” the Democratic politicians reminded in a statement.

Despite these warnings, only 11 Democrats and Republican Senator Rand Paul voted against the bill.