Trump signs 'hellish sanctions' law against Russia; Ukraine pushes for full implementation
President Donald Trump signed a U.S. sanctions law — dubbed the "hellish sanctions" — about a week before publication, codifying existing measures against Russia across energy, the shadow fleet, finance, the defense-industrial complex and sanctions circumvention. The law imposes tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from third countries that buy significant volumes of Russian oil or gas, and sets an 18 October deadline for the administration to act. Ukraine, which has already submitted detailed proposals including lists of traders, tankers, captains and intermediaries, is engaging Congress to press the White House toward full implementation.
Key points
- Trump signed the law, originally initiated by Senator Lindsey Graham and passed by both chambers of Congress, about a week before publication.
- The law codifies U.S. sanctions across energy, the shadow fleet, the financial sector, supplies for the defense-industrial complex, and circumvention mechanisms.
- Tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on third-country goods are set for countries that buy significant volumes of Russian oil or gas or help circumvent sanctions.
- Existing U.S. sanctions against Russia are now statutory and can be fully lifted only when Russia signs a peace agreement accepted by an independent Ukrainian government and ceases hostilities.
- The administration must act on the law by 18 October, but a 'waiver' mechanism lets the president exempt individual provisions for national-interest reasons.
- Ukraine's sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk says Kyiv has transmitted concrete proposals — traders, tankers, captains, companies, routes, and intermediaries — and is lobbying Congress to press the White House for full implementation.
What happened
President Donald Trump signed the so-called "hellish sanctions" law about a week before the article's publication. The legislation, originally initiated by Senator Lindsey Graham, was passed by both chambers of the U.S. Congress. It codifies existing U.S. sanctions against Russia across five areas: energy, the shadow fleet, the financial sector, supplies for Russia's defense-industrial complex (DIC), and sanctions circumvention mechanisms. By turning previously executive measures into law, it locks them in so they can no longer be lifted by presidential decision alone — full removal is now conditioned on Russia signing a peace agreement accepted by an independent Ukrainian government and ceasing hostilities.
The law also introduces punitive tariffs: up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from third countries that purchase significant volumes of Russian oil or gas, or that facilitate sanctions circumvention. China and India, the largest buyers of Russian energy, reacted sharply. The administration must carry out the actions provided for in the law by 18 October, though a "waiver" mechanism lets the president decline to apply individual provisions for reasons of national interest. Ukraine's sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk authored a column laying out Kyiv's engagement, and Ukraine has already transmitted concrete proposals to Washington covering all five codified areas — including specific traders, tanker and captain lists, companies, routes, and intermediaries — while lobbying the Senate to press the White House toward full implementation.
How international sources describe it
Ukrainian sources frame the law as a basis for joint work with the United States and stress that Kyiv is already feeding Washington detailed evidence — lists of traders, tankers, captains, companies, routes and intermediaries — to make implementation bite. They also flag that the administration's position on full implementation is not yet fully clear, and point to the 18 October deadline as a critical test of political will.
Background
The law was originally initiated by Senator Lindsey Graham and passed by both chambers of Congress before Trump signed it. The measures build on earlier sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil: in February 2026, Russia's oil export revenues stood at $9.75 billion and exports fell to about 6.6 million barrels per day, with Russia redirecting some trade to previously unsanctioned participants. Russia continues to obtain critical technologies and components through third countries, routing payments through banks in the UAE, Turkey, Central Asia and Hong Kong. The law also opens possibilities for acting on financial intermediaries, operators of financial messaging systems, and participants in transactions with digital assets, but a "waiver" mechanism leaves significant implementation discretion with the administration.