没有最惨，只有更惨。
File picture of US Capitol. Photo: VCG
The US Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would impose sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, a measure that had long been championed by the late senator Lindsey Graham before his death last month, CNBC reported. A Chinese expert criticized the legislation, warning that if implemented, the bill, driven largely by political motives aimed at catering to US domestic political correctness, could severely disrupt the already fragile global energy market and economy. He also noted that the bill is essentially a tool of political coercion, weaponizing tariffs and unilateral sanctions to hijack normal global energy trade and override sovereign economic choices of independent nations.
The legislation, named The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, aims to hurt Russia's war effort in Ukraine by penalizing purchasers of Russian oil and Russian leaders. It passed with bipartisan support 86-11 and will now proceed to the House, which is on recess until September, per CNBC.
The bill would impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that are among the top five purchasers of Russian crude oil or gas, which includes China and India.
It also includes sanctions targeting Russian leaders, officials, targeting Russian leaders, oligarchs and financial institutions. At the request of US President Donald Trump, the bill extends sanctions on Iran's weapons and energy sectors, CNBC reported.
Notably, the bill's excessive tariff discretion has sparked fierce internal doubts within US political circles. Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Don Beyer of Virginia said in a statement they still had "fundamental concerns" about the tariff powers for the president, who has made them a central piece of his "America First" approach to foreign policy.
"What the bill does grant ... are sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponize with abandon, as he has repeatedly done in the past," said Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Beyer, the senior Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, according to Reuters.
Chinese experts have strongly criticized the bill's politically driven nature, its economic coercion, and its severe spillover risks to the global economy.
The bill, aimed at putting pressure on Russia, would disrupt global energy markets and create new uncertainties for the world economy if implemented, Yang Jin, associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Many economies retain legitimate, market-based energy cooperation with Russia out of practical economic and energy security needs. Russia's energy exports have long been a key component of the global energy system, with countries including India and some European nations continuing to rely on Russian oil and gas, said Yang, noting that even some European countries have received exemptions to maintain energy imports from Russia, underscoring the role of Russian supplies in supporting economic stability.
India's reliance on Russian crude increased further after the conflict in West Asia disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. With Gulf supplies affected during the US war on Iran, Indian refiners turned more heavily towards Russian oil as an alternative source, Indian media Hindustan Times reported on Saturday after US Senate passed the bill.
When asked about the bill on July 15, Lin Jian, spokesperson from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and will take necessary measures to firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses and citizens.
Practicing double standards and resorting to coercion and pressuring will eventually prove to be self-defeating, said Lin.
Yang further pointed out that the push for the bill, labeled after Lindsey Graham, who was known as one of the toughest Russia hawks in Washington, lays bare Washington's distorted domestic political logic.
The legislation, which represents another typical case of US hegemonic long-arm jurisdiction, is largely designed to ease US domestic governance pressure. As the Trump administration fails to deliver substantive progress in de-escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict as promised, ramping up external sanctions and forcing third-party sovereign countries into abandoning normal economic and trade cooperation has become a convenient political tool for US politicians to showcase tough posturing and ease domestic pressure, Yang said.
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B | 相信这是看完昨日凌晨曼联比赛的人最直观的感受，客场0比4被布伦特福德“羞辱”，这让曼联瞬间成为体育热搜榜“榜一大哥”，一连串尴尬到耻辱的纪录被打破。滕哈格自己都说，真想把这11名首发球员都换掉。但换了他们曼联能用谁呢？赛季之初就遭遇这样的窘境，恐怕留给荷兰人的时间不多了。
C | 首轮不敌布莱顿之后，曼联全队上下的压力本就不小，一方面来说，主场输球且踢得浑浑噩噩，这本身就不太说得过去，另外一方面，有关转会方面的困扰仍未散去，比如C罗到底走不走，德容和拉比奥特到底来不来。
D | 难怪有媒体分析表示，目前尚处在“内忧外患”之中的曼联恐怕近期难有上佳的发挥，但殊不知，这失利过于惨痛了。20分钟就被对手梅开二度，同时门将还出现“黄油手”，这种情况下曼联半场0比4落后，似乎是可以理解的。这绝不完全是技战术层面的失误，而是球队在心理层面已经被对手打崩，这还是在C罗以及拉什福德都重新回到首发的前提下。这样的“红魔”都能被对手踢得溃不成军，半场比赛就缴械投降，不知道荷兰人还能有什么灵丹妙药来治疗一下病入膏肓的曼联。
E | 滕哈赫是1921年来，首位遭遇开局2连败的曼联主帅；布伦特福德成为英超历史上，第3支在半场就打入曼联4球的球队。此前的两队是热刺(2020年10月)和利物浦(2021年10月)；上次曼联在顶级联赛35分钟就丢掉4球，还要追溯到1990年5月2日，当时他们客场对阵诺丁汉森林，25分钟就0比4落后；曼联自1960-1961赛季以来，首次在顶级联赛前2场就丢掉6球以上。这些数字中，还有一个有点令人哭笑不得。曼联现在排名英超垫底。
F | 上一次曼联在英超垫底还是在1992年8月，当时他们在开赛后首轮1比2输给谢菲尔德联队，第二轮又3球输给埃弗顿，在22队中排在最后，但那个赛季曼联最终获得了首届英超联赛的冠军，20年之后，曼联再次上演类似的剧情，那么赛季结束时曼联的排名会是第几呢？ 不管几个月后最终的排名会是多少，至少现在，曼联是垫底的队伍，滕哈格作为第一责任人，自然是脱不了干系，荷兰人说：“球队只有团结在一起，才能解决目前的问题。
G | 教练必须要给球员信念，球员自己也要有信念才行。这场比赛布伦特福德球员更具饥渴感，对方从一开始就做好了准备。
H | 我半场换3人是为了给球队注入新鲜血液，但如果有可能，真想把其他8人也换了。球队犯下不少错误，很多错误不应该犯。目前的情况是上赛季的延续，球队必须尽快做出改变。” 此役曼联全队发挥不佳，在这当中最郁闷的是首发出场的C罗，本就想要离队的“总裁”又在客场遭遇一场惨败，或许这将加速他离队的进程，一个有意思的事出现在赛后，葡萄牙人离场后只与曼联教练组简单进行击掌，没与滕哈赫握手和进行交流，直接走向了更衣室。文/本报记者 张昆龙
