Thune Says Russia Sanctions Vote Could Come as Soon as This Month

The top Senate Republican said on Wednesday that a vote could come as soon as this month on bipartisan legislation that would impose severe sanctions on countries that continue purchasing Russian oil, ratcheting up pressure on President Vladimir V. Putin as he escalates his war against Ukraine.

Momentum has been building on Capitol Hill behind the measure, which is cosponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, and Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, and has 83 supporters from both parties. Mr. Trump’s statement on Tuesday that he was “very strongly” considering supporting it signaled that a deal could be near to move it through Congress.

Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, said on Wednesday that “substantial progress” had been made on “overwhelmingly bipartisan Russia sanctions legislation to enhance President Trump’s leverage at the negotiating table and help end the bloodshed in Ukraine.”

He said the measure could come to a Senate vote “as early as this work period,” referring to the period between now and Aug. 1, when the chamber is set to depart for a monthlong recess.

In recent weeks, Mr. Graham has been working behind the scenes to make the measure more palatable to Mr. Trump. He and Mr. Blumenthal added a standard waiver for the president that would provide limited discretion for Mr. Trump to decide how and when to enforce the financial penalties. They have also discussed including a monthslong grace period for countries that trade with Russia but also provide aid to Ukraine to avoid sanctions.

At a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump appeared to allude approvingly to those changes, saying that he was “looking at” the bill. But he suggested he wanted broad latitude to determine the timing and application of any sanctions, saying it should be “totally at my option.”