A group of 50 US senators, from both parties, Republicans and Democrats, has proposed a new bill that aims to impose sanctions on Russia and countries that import its oil. These measures may be taken if the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, refuses to engage in serious negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine or violates potential peace agreements.
This is reported by Kyiv24
According to the document, the sanctions include the establishment of a 500% tariff on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium. Additionally, American citizens may be prohibited from purchasing Russian government debt, as reported by Bloomberg.
Additional Restrictions and Support for the Bill
The bill also includes a number of other restrictions, particularly a ban on US financial institutions investing in enterprises linked to the Russian government. One of the bill’s authors, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, stated:
“We hope for peace, but it must be fair to Ukraine. The reason for the lack of a ceasefire is that Putin is stalling, hoping to achieve success on the battlefield while distracting President Trump and the American people.”
Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Blumenthal reported that this bill has already garnered support from 50 senators. A parallel initiative will be presented in the House of Representatives by four congressmen from different parties.
Possibility of Exceptions
The bill also provides for the possibility of temporary exceptions to the sanctions at the discretion of the US president if it “serves the interests of US national security”.
US President Donald Trump has previously expressed outrage over Putin’s statements regarding the illegitimacy of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and the need for external governance in Ukraine. Trump threatened Russia with the imposition of secondary tariffs on oil exports if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire soon.