Ukraine’s presidential commissioner for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, arrived in Washington in early September to lobby House lawmakers on the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which the Senate passed 86-11 on August 7. The measure would authorize tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries buying Russian oil and build a broader sanctions framework aimed at Russian officials, financial institutions, and sanctions-evasion networks, including Moscow’s shadow fleet of aging tankers. It pairs primary sanctions on Russian targets with secondary sanctions that can cut foreign banks and intermediaries off from dollar markets if they help circumvent restrictions, raising pressure on facilitators in places such as the UAE, Turkey, and India. A bloc of House Democrats, including Reps. Gregory Meeks, Richard Neal, and Don Beyer, has objected that the tariff language would hand any president sweeping unilateral authority over sovereign trading partners. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said the caucus lacks a unified position and that Neal and Meeks have voiced strong opposition, citing concern the bill would expand tariff and sanctions powers President Donald Trump could abuse, while reiterating Democrats’ support for Ukraine. House Republican leadership has not scheduled a vote. Vlasiuk’s visit follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s late-July engagement with U.S. senators, his attendance at the procedural vote that set up final Senate passage, and activities honoring the late Senator Graham. India’s reliance on Russian crude hit a record 50.83% of imports in July, or about 2.47 million barrels per day, underscoring the energy-market stakes if the authority is enacted.