The new US restrictions are possible with the House of Representatives’ approval on September 16 of a bill named after Senator Lindsey Graham.

Some 262 lawmakers voted for the initiative, while 159 voted against, including 152 Democrats. The Upper House already approved the document in August, and now only President Donald Trump’s signature is required.

The bill, dubbed “hellish sanctions” since it was introduced last year, grants the US president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on all Russian products imported by the United States and up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian energy, as well as on third countries that help Moscow evade the sanctions.

Major buyers of Russian crude include China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan, while the largest gas importers are China, France, Japan, Hungary, and Belgium.

The bill exempts countries whose Russian natural gas imports represent less than 15 percent and seek to reduce their purchases, a category that would include Paris and Brussels.

The text also outlines restrictions targeting major Russian financial institutions and their executives, though it leaves their implementation to the head of State’s discretion.

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