New US sanctions law undermines Ukraine peace efforts – Kremlin
The sanctions law signed by US President Donald Trump this week will undermine efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict through diplomacy, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
On Friday, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which authorizes tougher restrictions on Russia and tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
“Clearly, this cannot have a positive effect,” Peskov told RIA Novosti on Saturday when asked how the law would affect the prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine and the possibility of a breakthrough in Russia-US relations.
Named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a vocal supporter of Ukraine who co-authored the original bill with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal in 2025, the legislation remained stalled for months as Trump pursued diplomacy with Russia and resisted placing sole blame for the conflict on Moscow. Trump’s envoys also discussed normalizing economic ties with their Russian counterparts.
The Senate passed the measure 86-11 last month, followed by the House on Wednesday in a 262-159 vote.
The original proposal threatened tariffs of 500% on countries purchasing Russian energy, but the maximum rate was reduced to 100% after negotiations with the White House. Graham, who died unexpectedly in July, promoted the measure as “bone-crushing” sanctions.
The version adopted by Congress targets major buyers of Russian oil and gas, with China and India expected to be among those potentially affected. It also gives Trump broad discretion over the application of the tariffs, including the ability to waive or suspend restrictions in the national interest.
Peskov previously described the bill as an “unfriendly action” that would “complicate efforts to find a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.”
The Russian Embassy in the US said the legislation does “a grand disservice” to Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda, arguing that restricting Russia’s energy trade amid sharply reduced Middle Eastern supplies could send fuel prices soaring ahead of the midterm elections. It warned that confrontation with Russia and China is a lose-lose situation that only benefits the “Euro-Atlantic warmongers.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun condemned the law, saying China “carries out economic and trade cooperation with countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit” and that its trade is not directed against any third country.
