Putin strikes Ukraine as Washington sits on sanctions bill backed 86–11

The US House of Representatives returned to Washington this week after a five-week recess to find a Russia sanctions bill waiting on its desk — a measure that passed the Senate by an overwhelming 86-11 vote on August 7 but has remained stalled since a companion version was introduced in the House three days later.

For Ukraine and its supporters in Washington, the delay is becoming increasingly difficult to justify as Russia continues its campaign against Ukrainian cities.

Ukraine’s sanctions envoy, Vladislav Vlasyuk, has travelled to Washington this week to press the case for action.

Razom We Stand, the Ukrainian-founded energy and policy organisation, argues that lawmakers do not need another round of meetings but a vote followed by presidential approval.

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The timing has become more urgent.

During the three weeks in which the legislation has been awaiting action, the United Nations recorded July as Ukraine’s deadliest month for civilian casualties since April 2022. A Russian strike on a village outside Kyiv over the weekend reportedly killed 38 people, while Russia’s defence ministry has announced preparations for large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s power grid this winter.

The House has only three session weeks remaining before the holiday period, with next year’s midterm election campaign set to further constrain the legislative calendar.

For Kyiv’s supporters, the argument is that the window for congressional action is narrowing at precisely the moment pressure on Russia needs to increase.

The proposed sanctions would further tighten the economic restrictions imposed on Moscow following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as Washington debates how far it is prepared to go in increasing the costs of the war.

The issue also raises a wider question over US companies that continue operating in Russia.

Razom We Stand is renewing pressure on SLB, the Houston-headquartered oilfield services company that continues to operate inside Russia’s energy sector more than four years after the invasion.

SLB’s 2025 annual report disclosed that Russia accounted for 4 per cent of its global revenue last year, while the carrying value of its net assets in the country remained about $0.7 billion as of December 31 2025.

The organisation argues that continued commercial activity in Russia risks sustaining the revenues that ultimately support Moscow’s war effort.

The choice confronting Washington is therefore increasingly stark: allow sanctions legislation to remain caught in congressional procedure while western companies continue doing business inside Russia, or advance legislation that could put additional pressure on the Kremlin.

The Senate vote demonstrated substantial bipartisan support for tougher measures against Moscow. The unresolved question is whether that support can now be translated into action in the House.

With Russian attacks continuing and the prospect of further strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this winter, Kyiv’s allies argue that delay itself carries a cost.

For Ukraine, the debate is no longer simply about sanctions policy. It is about whether the United States is prepared to use the economic leverage available to it while Russia continues its war.

Razom We Stand’s position is that there is no cost-free version of waiting: every further delay risks allowing Russia’s war machine to continue operating while Congress considers its response.

Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said: “Rockets rain down faster than ever upon Kyiv and Ukraine now, with thirty-eight of our people killed outside Kyiv in one day last weekend.

“The strong bill that could help dry up funding for Russia’s next strike is still sitting on desks in Washington. For us Ukrainians, this isn’t abstract — it’s a body count filled with our friends and relatives, and the casualties grow every week Congress waits.

Russia can only keep striking our cities because it can still sell its oil, and there is an American company called SLB, headquartered in Houston, still helping fund that machine. The Senate has already voted. All that’s missing now is a House floor vote and President Trump’s signature. Sign it, and mean it — no waivers that let this or any future administration look away next month. Every day this waits is a day we bury more people.”