US Senate advances Russia sanctions bill

The US Senate overwhelmingly voted to advance legislation that would impose new sanctions on Russia, approving a procedural motion to begin consideration of the measure.

The Senate voted 86-12 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 5334, the legislative vehicle for the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, clearing the way for debate on the measure.

The 12 senators voting against the procedural motion were Lisa Blunt Rochester, Maggie Hassan, Mazie Hirono, Andy Kim, Ed Markey, Jon Ossoff, Alex Padilla, Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch and Ron Wyden.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed the vote from the front row of the Senate gallery, where he was attending proceedings as a tribute to the bill's author, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose funeral was held earlier in the day.