US lawmakers drafting sanctions bill targeting countries doing business with Russia, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 16 that congressional Republicans are preparing legislation that would impose sanctions on any country doing business with Russia.
"Any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned," Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida. He added that Iran may also be included in the new sanctions package.
The forthcoming legislation would build on a series of actions the Trump administration has taken in recent months. In October, the administration announced its first sanctions against Moscow, targeting Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, along with their subsidiaries.
Most recently, however, the U.S. Treasury Department delayed sanctions on Lukoil — originally scheduled to take effect Nov. 21 — to allow the company time to sell off its foreign assets.
Earlier this year, Washington also imposed 50% tariffs on India, one of the largest importers of Russian oil, citing New Delhi's continued purchases despite warnings that secondary sanctions could follow if Moscow failed to advance peace efforts in Ukraine.
Trump offered no additional details about the sanctions legislation under development but said Iran would likely be among the targets. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Iran has served as a critical Kremlin ally, supplying weapons and military equipment to Moscow's war effort.
