Trump signs Graham Act, codifying US sanctions for forced deportation of Ukrainian children

Why it matters

The law moves the US sanctions basis for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from executive orders to statute, a change that cannot be undone by a single presidential decision or a change of administration. Liability now reaches beyond direct perpetrators to the officials, guardianship bodies, carriers and intermediaries who organize, finance or sign off on deportations, and the standard of 'knowing' participation does not require proving direct intent. By sitting the children-deportation provision in the same statute as sweeping tariffs on Russian energy buyers and direct Russian imports, plus a ban on new US investment in Russia, the law embeds a humanitarian issue inside the broader economic pressure track on Moscow. Ukrainian leaders publicly framed the signing as a major bipartisan diplomatic win for Kyiv.

What happened

On 18 September, US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act (H.R. 5334), named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The US House of Representatives had passed the bill on 16 September, and the law was adopted with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. For the first time, the statute — rather than an executive order — sets out US sanctions grounds for the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

The grounds cover knowing, direct or indirect participation in serious human rights violations against Ukrainian citizens, including forced displacement, enforced disappearances, unlawful detention, torture, and forced deportation of children. Sanctions can apply not only to those who physically deported children but also to officials, guardianship structures, carriers, intermediaries and other non-US legal persons who organized, financed, documented or otherwise facilitated the process. The sanctions package has two components: full blocking of all property and financial assets under US jurisdiction, and a complete ban on entry to the United States with immediate revocation of existing visas and denial of immigration benefits. Violations carry civil and criminal liability under US law. Decisions on which individuals and organizations to list are made by the US President; certain senior Russian officials are listed automatically by virtue of their position, and the President may add others at his discretion.

The same statute also targets Russia's energy and financial sectors. Thirty days after the law takes effect, the US must impose additional tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that are among the top five buyers of Russian oil or gas and continue new purchases, and on countries that most facilitate circumvention of Russian sanctions. Tariffs of up to 500% are possible on goods imported directly from Russia. The law also bans new US investments in Russia and restricts transactions involving Russian sovereign debt and transfers of funds to Russian authorities and officials. The President retains broad authority to make exceptions or waive individual sanctions and tariffs on national security grounds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and US legislators for the law and said the best tribute to Lindsey Graham's memory would be its fullest and fastest implementation. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called the signing a 'truly historic day,' said it sends a clear signal that the aggressor will pay a high price, and expressed hope for further 'decisive actions' from EU and G7 partners. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also welcomed the expanded grounds. Maksym Maksymov, head of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, said responsibility for child deportation now 'has a price' set at the legislative level and noted that the children-deportation provision sits in the same law as sanctions on Russian oil, banks, and the defense industry.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage leads with the human-rights angle, foregrounding the codification of sanctions for the deportation of Ukrainian children as the core achievement of the law. Articles center on Ukrainian officials' reactions — Zelensky thanking Trump, Sybiha calling it a 'truly historic day,' Ombudsman Lubinets welcoming the expanded grounds, and Maksymov of Bring Kids Back UA emphasizing that responsibility for child deportation now 'has a price' at the legislative level. Ukrainian reporting consistently notes that the deportation-of-children provision sits in the same statute as sanctions on Russian oil, banks, and the defense industry, framing it as a unified pressure tool rather than a separate humanitarian track. Sybiha was quoted hoping for parallel 'decisive actions' from EU and G7 partners, signaling expectations of further Western alignment.

Where reporting differs

Estimates of how many Ukrainian children have been returned diverge: Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets cited 2,590 children returned and more than 20,000 deported or forcibly relocated, while other reporting cites 2,274 children returned and 19,500 confirmed deported. The date of House passage also varies slightly: most reporting says 16 September, while one fact describes it as 16–17 September.

Background

The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova on 17 March 2023 over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the illegal deportation of 19,500 Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories to Russia; as of June 2026, 2,274 of those children had been returned. In May 2026, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on 85 Russians, 29 of them linked to forced deportation, ideologization and militarization of Ukrainian children, and also sanctioned the 'Songdowon' camp in North Korea. In July 2023, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine opened an investigation into the participation of the Belarusian Red Cross in the deportation of Ukrainian children. The US House of Representatives passed the Graham bill on 16 September (with one source citing 16–17 September). The law is named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham.