Washington is preparing a massive blow to the Russian economy. According to Ukrainian diplomatic sources, the US plans to adopt a new, unprecedentedly harsh package of sanctions against Russia as early as September 2026. It is expected that the blow will be directed at vulnerable points of the Russian economy, and its effect will be significantly stronger than that of previous European restrictions.
Georgiy Tikhyy, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, confirmed in an interview with the publication «Shelter» that the discussion concerns a bill developed by Senator Lindsey Graham. According to Kyiv's forecasts, US lawmakers intend to give the initiative the «green light» in early autumn. Tikhyy particularly emphasized that the upcoming measures will be «much more painful» for Moscow than any previous packages adopted in Europe.
Multiplication effect and the Kremlin's reaction
According to Ukrainian diplomats, the adoption of this document should trigger the so-called «multiplication effect». This means that the tough stance of the US will push the international community to adopt its own additional restrictive measures. In fact, the American bill could provoke a new wave of global sanctions.
The reaction of Moscow to these preparations is interesting. Georgiy Tikhyy drew attention to the characteristic behavior of the Kremlin on the eve of decisive steps by Washington. In the past, as soon as the US prepared new restrictions, Russia immediately began to simulate intense diplomatic activity, trying to drag out time and disrupt the process.
The diplomat recalled that it was precisely such maneuvers that led to the emergence of the Istanbul negotiations. «Ankara was born in exactly the same way, if you remember, the moment of introducing serious sanctions was approaching, and they somehow derailed it», — added Tikhyy, referring to Moscow's attempts to neutralize pressure through diplomatic initiatives.
However, this time the scenario is changing. Despite the expectations of the Ukrainian side, before the current vote in the US Senate, Russia is not taking active steps to disrupt the event. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine forecasts that this does not mean the Kremlin is giving up attempts to hinder the final introduction of restrictions. Moscow will likely continue to look for ways to resist at other stages.
The role of Zelenskyy and Stubb in the decision-making
An important role in promoting the initiative was played by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During his visit to the US, the head of state met with more than 60 US senators. Zelenskyy emphasized that the new bill is not just a tool of pressure on the Kremlin, but also an important signal to European partners, demonstrating Western unity.
According to media reports, it was Zelenskyy, together with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, who managed to convince US lawmakers to support the initiative to introduce so-called «hellish sanctions» against Russia. Earlier, on July 28, the US Senate already supported a bill to tighten sanctions against Russia and Iran, one of the co-authors of which was the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. Now all attention is focused on the final stage of adopting these tough measures.
