Congress to move on legislating Russia sanctions bill following Trump's 'blessing,' US Senator Graham says
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
The United States Congress will renew its efforts to move forward in an attempt to pass a Russia sanctions bill into law, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Nov. 17.
"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 wrote on social media.
The initially proposed bill sought to impose 500% tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products — although it was not immediately clear as to what restrictions would be imposed under the latest version of the bill.
Signed by 84 co-sponsors, Senators Graham and Richard Blumenthal established a revised version of their bill that would impose secondary sanctions on Russian trading partners, while shielding Ukraine’s allies from penalties and making technical adjustments.
In June, the White House asked Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may."
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to signal his willingness on Nov. 16 to move on the bill, which aims to put additional economic pressure on Russia.
When asked by reporters whether Trump wants Congress to move on the legislation, Trump replied: I hear they're doing that. That's okay with me."
"This legislation is designed to give President Trump more flexibility and power to push (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to the peace table by going after both Putin and countries like Iran that support him," Graham wrote.
For months, Graham, one of Congress' staunchest supporters of Ukraine, attempted to force a vote on the "overwhelmingly bipartisan" bill.
Despite his efforts, Trump reportedly pressured senators to soften the sanctions deal in an effort to negotiate a ceasefire with the Kremlin. The bill was never brought to a vote before the Senate amid Trump's pressure campaign.
After months of failing to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump imposed sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, marking the first time Trump imposed sanctions against Russia since he took office in January.
"President Trump’s executive sanctions on the top two Russian oil companies have made a big difference. The Russia sanctions bill will continue the momentum to end this war honorably, justly and once and for all," Graham added.
The timeline for a vote for on the bill was not immediately clear. Trump has also not signalled whether he will sign the final version of the bill if it passes through Congress.
