U.S. senators called on Trump to impose sanctions against Russia under the Graham Act

High-ranking members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. Senate have called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions against Russia under the recently passed Graham Act.

 They sent an open letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

As the authors of the letter note, one of the U.S.’s top priorities should be to counter Russia’s “shadow fleet.” This refers to a network of tankers that Moscow uses to transport oil and circumvent U.S. sanctions.

The senators also called for the shutdown of Russia’s new satellite system, the dangers of which Ukraine had previously warned about.

The letter emphasizes the need to increase economic pressure on Moscow.

“Every day without maximum economic pressure allows Moscow to escalate its military actions,” the letter states.

Roger Wicker and Jean Shaheen also called on the U.S. administration to close financial loopholes that allow Russia to circumvent sanctions.

“Foreign banks must be forced to make a choice: either they do business with the U.S., or they finance Russia’s war. It is impossible to do both,” the senators stated.

In their view, the U.S. administration must “paralyze the global financial networks that enable Russia to evade sanctions.”

The authors of the letter called for particular attention to be paid to foreign banks in Shanghai, as well as to “an increasingly extensive network of Kyrgyz financial institutions.” According to the senators, these entities are being used to launder funds subject to sanctions.

Separately, Roger Wicker and Jean Shaheen emphasized the need to halt the supply of dual-use technologies to Russia.

This refers to technologies that can be used not only in the civilian sector but also to support the needs of the Russian military and the war against Ukraine.

Thus, the senators are calling on the Donald Trump administration to simultaneously increase pressure on the Russian oil sector, financial networks, foreign banks, and the supply of technologies that help Moscow circumvent sanctions.

This call was made by Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Jean Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Ukraine expects the European Union’s 22nd sanctions package to include tighter restrictions on the Russian financial sector, new bans on technology exports to Russia, and additional measures against Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

The European Union may adopt the 22nd package of sanctions against Russia no earlier than November. At the same time, as early as October, the EU expects to expand its sanctions list to include approximately 1,600 individuals and entities.

As a reminder, on October 2, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against seven Russian citizens whom London links to the forced deportation, indoctrination, and militarization of Ukrainian children. Among those sanctioned are the leaders of Russia’s “First Movement” and its branches in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Earlier, the U.S. banned transactions with A7 due to suspicions of sanctions evasion.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury also imposed sanctions against Iran’s automotive and railway sectors. The restrictions are part of Operation Economic Outcast, aimed at cutting off Tehran’s access to financial resources.

On October 1, the British government announced a new package of sanctions against Russia, targeting 31 individuals and entities, as well as vessels belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”