On Wednesday, 16 September 2026, the United States House of Representatives passed a new bill to strengthen sanctions against Russia. The text received 262 votes to 159, after prior approval by the Senate. It also benefits from the support of President Donald Trump and aims in particular at the sources of revenue used by Moscow to finance his war effort in Ukraine.
In particular, the scheme targets the Russian energy sector, banks and the « ghost fleet », consisting of ships used to transport Russian oil by bypassing certain international restrictions. It also allows the US administration to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on imports from countries that purchase large quantities of Russian oil or gas.
This could include large buyers of Russian energy, including China and India. However, the rate of 100 per cent is a ceiling provided for in the text and not a tariff applied automatically. For Moscow, these new measures may further complicate diplomatic efforts around the war in Ukraine, while Washington intends to increase economic pressure on Russia.
