Half of the US Senate, led by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, introduced a bipartisan bill on Tuesday to impose sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin disrupts the US president’s peace efforts in Ukraine. This is stated in a statement on Senator Blumenthal’s website.
The sanctions, submitted by 50 U.S. senators, will be enacted if peace talks fail or an agreement is reached but Russia violates it.
Among the penalties that the law could lead to are 500 percent duties on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other Russian products.
“The dominating view in the United States Senate is that Russia is the aggressor and that this horrific war and Putin’s aggression must end now and be deterred in the future. We share President Trump’s frustration with Russia when it comes to obtaining a ceasefire and support President Trump’s desire to achieve a lasting, just, and honorable peace,” the U.S. senators said.
“Sanctions against Russia require tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products. They are tough for a reason,” they added.
US President Donald Trump has expressed irritation over Vladimir Putin’s delay in ceasefire negotiations. The senators who supported the bill on primary and secondary sanctions against Russia share the same sense of frustration.
“In 1994, as part of the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up approximately 1,700 nuclear weapons in exchange for a promise by the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty in the future. This failed to deter Russian aggression,” the senators said.
“These sanctions against Russia are at the ready and will receive overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support if presented to the Senate and House for a vote. We support an immediate ceasefire to secure a lasting, honorable peace. During the talks in Saudi Arabia, Russian negotiators called on the United States to facilitate the lifting of sanctions on Russian banks and the promotion of Russian fertilizers and agricultural products to the world market before agreeing to a ceasefire,” the statement said.
“We hope that in 2025, President Trump and his team will achieve what has eluded the world in the past: ending Russia’s aggression against Ukraine for good and ensuring the survival of a free and democratic Ukraine. These sanctions against Russia are ready and will receive overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support if they are brought to a vote in the Senate and House of Representatives,” the lawmakers wrote.
According to Reuters, senior Trump administration officials have begun to acknowledge recently that the United States may not be able to reach a peace deal on Ukraine in the following months.
