Fox Newsbone-crushing sanctions, grind down the Kremlin’s war machine
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (.gov)
NOTUS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the U.S. Capitol on July 28, 2026, attending the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham and observing a Senate procedural vote on a Russian sanctions bill. The Senate passed the procedural vote 86-12 hours after Graham's funeral. The bill, negotiated for more than a year, penalizes countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, and other exports.
The 86-12 procedural vote advances isolation of Russia's energy exports through penalties on third-country buyers, with Zelenskyy's presence highlighting sustained U.S. support for Ukraine.
“Democratic sovereignty and international norms against aggression”
Conservative
Bipartisan action on sanctions championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham counters authoritarian expansion via economic pressure following his Ukraine engagement.
“National security hawkishness and alliance solidarity”
Libertarian
The vote expands government authority to restrict voluntary trade and penalize third parties in foreign conflicts, increasing costs for U.S. consumers.
“Non-intervention and limits on economic coercion”
Devil's Advocate
All views treat the procedural vote and symbolic events as substantive progress without examining evasion history, the bill's Iran provisions, or whether emotional timing substitutes for outcome scrutiny.
“Symbolic theater versus measurable policy results”