Trump ‘OK’ May Clear Way for Russia Sanctions Bill, Graham Says
(Bloomberg) -- Long-stalled legislation to impose sanctions on countries that do business with Russia may soon get a vote in the US Senate after President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that he’s “OK” with it, Senator Lindsey Graham said.
“I am very pleased that with President Trump’s blessing, Congress will be moving on the overwhelmingly bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that will provide President Trump with more tools to end the bloodbath in Ukraine,” Graham, a South Carolina Republican, posted Monday on X.
The measure would authorize Trump to impose secondary sanctions and tariffs at his discretion on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, Graham added.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who controls what legislation comes to a vote, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Graham’s post.
A version backed by the vast majority of the Senate including Thune and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer would provide for 500% tariffs. That bill has been held up for months, with Thune repeatedly telling reporters that he was coordinating with the Trump administration on the issue and didn’t want to set a deadline for action.
The president has been trying to entice the Russian leader Vladimir Putin to enter negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Putin, however, has turned down pleas for a ceasefire and aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities have continued unabated.
Trump, who pledged in last year’s campaign to bring an end to the war, offered his public support for the legislation Sunday in comments to reporters.
“I hear they’re doing that, and that’s OK with me,” Trump told reporters. “So any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned.”
Graham said in his social media post that the sanctions bill would give Trump “power to push Putin to the peace table by going after both Putin and countries like Iran that support him.”
While an overwhelming majority of the Senate supports sanctioning Russia, any one senator can still force lengthy delays.
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