By Hedelberto López Blanch * / Special Collaboration for Resumen
Russia described the new US sanctions against Moscow as “hellish sanctions” after the House of Representatives passed a new bill of anti-Russian measures, championed by the late far-right Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow considers the passage “hostile actions” that affect Russian oil and gas exports.
The spokesman added that the imposition of additional sanctions by the United States will undoubtedly complicate efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Ukraine.
The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 262 to 159, was renamed the “Lindsey O. Graham Russia and Iran Sanctions Act of 2026” and aims to exert greater pressure on the Russian energy industry.
It would also authorize convicted President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China, India, and other buyers of oil and other energy resources from Russia and Iran.
The measure comes amid rising fuel prices in the United States, which are already affecting thousands of families. The Wall Street Journal reported that, according to White House sources, the president plans to sign the bill.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the annual congress of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in May 2025, revealed that the West had imposed 28,595 sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, a figure higher than the total number of sanctions imposed on all other nations worldwide.
Putin added that “sanctions are not temporary or one-off measures; they are a mechanism of systemic strategic pressure on our country. No matter how the situation develops, no matter what the system of international relations is, our competitors will always have the desire to contain the country, to weaken its economic and technological capabilities.”
The publication Russia Today reported that the measure coincides with an increase in the price of regular gasoline in the United States, where it rose from $2.98 to $4.36 per gallon, while diesel reached a record $6.33 per gallon. The price increase fuels inflation and adds pressure on the Federal Reserve, while many low- and middle-income families reduce their savings or cut back on other expenses.
Internationally, markets are concerned about disruptions to crude oil supplies due to the crisis in the Middle East (the US-Iran war) and Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Oil and gas prices earlier this week surpassed their levels of four months ago.
Both China and India stated they will take all necessary measures to protect their commercial and economic interests.
For some time now, Russia has observed that the conflict being waged by European countries and the United States (the latter behind the scenes) has not ended despite promises made and talks held.
On September 15, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that “it is the United States and Europe that are obstructing the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. If Washington had not deviated from the Anchorage (Alaska) agreements reached between Putin and Trump, the conflict would have ended a year ago.”
According to Lavrov, European leaders “clinged to” Donald Trump, convinced him to abandon the proposal he presented to Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Alaska last year, and dissuaded him from maintaining the (primarily American) proposal that we had accepted.
Last June, Putin asserted that Moscow agreed to accept the concessions made by the American negotiators, although no document was signed and only ways to end the conflict were discussed.
Later, in August 2026, during a press conference, Lavrov declared that the United States “is directly involved” in Ukrainian attacks against Russia, including those involving civilian targets.
The Russian Foreign Minister added that “the Americans, through the supply of weapons financed by the European Union, intelligence sharing, the Starlink system, and much more, are not only assisting, but are directly involved in guiding Ukrainian weapons toward targets.”
As an additional fact, according to The Washington Post, during Trump’s first term, “30,573 false or misleading statements” were documented, an average of 21 per day. It is estimated that he will break that unfortunate record during his second term.
It seems Russia is taking to heart that memorable phrase uttered by the heroic guerrilla fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara on November 30, 1964, when he declared: “You can’t trust imperialism even a little bit.”
IMAGE CREDIT: Euronews
(*) Hedelberto López Blanch is a renowned Cuban journalist. He writes for the newspaper Juventud Rebelde and the weekly Opciones. He is the author of “Cuban Emigration to the United States,” “Secret Stories of Cuban Doctors in Africa,” and “Miami, Dirty Money,” among others.
[ SOURCE: RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL TERCER MUNDO CUBA / EN RESUMEN ]
