With US bill's fate in balance, Ukraine to lobby US

Ukraine's top sanctions official will visit Washington this week to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to back sweeping Russia sanctions legislation that sailed through the Senate but faces stiff opposition from some powerful Democrats.



Vladyslav Vlasiuk, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's sanctions commissioner, said he is due to be in the U.S. capital on Tuesday on a trip that will include meetings with lawmakers.



Two congressional aides confirmed plans for Vlasiuk's visit and said he would urge support for the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026," a measure intended to sanction Russian officials and authorize stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas.



The bill is seen as an important message to Ukraine – and Russia – of continuing U.S. support for the government in Kyiv in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion.



It aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow by cutting off sources of revenue used to fund the war.