Zelenskyy thanks Trump for signing 'critically important' Russia sanctions bill
LONDON -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday thanked President Donald Trump for signing into law a bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, which allows for the expansion of sanctions on Russia related to Moscow's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump signed the bill on Friday, the White House said in a statement, after the legislation passed both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan backing. The legislation "authorizes and expands statutory sanctions, tariffs and prohibitions on Russia and extends existing sanctions on Iran," the White House said.
The bill's passage came about two months after Graham died suddenly following a tear in his aorta. Graham had long been an advocate of U.S. support for Kyiv and more stringent measures on Russia and the regime headed by President Vladimir Putin. In 2024, Russia's state financial monitoring agency added Graham to its list of alleged "terrorists and extremists."
In a post to Telegram on Friday night, Zelenskyy thanked Trump for signing what he called "critically important legislation," extending his thanks to "all the senators and members of the House of Representatives who supported it."
"When Lindsey Graham was here in Ukraine, he would always talk about how important it was not to ease pressure on Russia, to strengthen sanctions and seek a path to peace," Zelenskyy wrote.
"In particular, in those capitals that choose to buy Russian oil, provide financial services to Russia, and allow Russian companies linked to Putin and the war to engage in normal business relations in other countries," he added.
"The best way to honor Lindsey's memory will be to implement the provisions of this law fully and swiftly. And the best reward for everyone helping us put pressure on Russia to end its war will be peace. Peace -- and an end to all the problems and challenges this war has brought," the Ukrainian president wrote.
"Peace comes through strength. Calm comes through security. And the best guarantee of security is resolve," he added.
The legislation allows for primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and other countries that support Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year with no sign of a breakthrough in peace talks.
The sanctions target Russian political officials and oligarchs, banks and financial institutions, and Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" -- hundreds of tankers used to evade sanctions -- according to the bill.
The legislation allows for the president to impose tariffs, but limits the scope of those tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries that aid Russia's energy sanctions evasion.
It also includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanction authority that restricts funding for Iran's energy and weapons sectors.
Russian officials hit out at the new legislation, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling reporters on Friday, "The introduction of any additional sanctions by the United States will definitely complicate efforts to find a peaceful settlement in Ukraine."
Dmitry Medvedev -- the former Russian president and prime minister now serving as the deputy chairman of the country's Security Council -- described the legislation as an example of "Russophobic outrages" in a post to his Telegram channel on Saturday morning, before referring to Graham as a "dead terrorist."
The bill passed the House by a 262 to 159 vote. The legislation split House Democrats, with 58 voting in favor while 152 voted against. Seven Republican lawmakers joined the dissenting Democrats.
The Senate approved the measure last month with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 86 to 11.
Top House Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, explained why they voted against the sanctions bill, saying it "gives extraordinary power to Donald Trump."
ABC News' Michelle Stoddart, Rashid Haddou and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
