Washington: US President Donald Trump has taken a major step against Russia by giving the green light to a bipartisan sanctions bill. US Senator Lindsey Graham provided this information, stating that a vote on the bill could take place next week. If approved, the bill could create difficulties for countries like India, China, and Brazil. Graham said the bill would allow President Trump to punish countries that are fueling Putin's war machine by buying cheap Russian oil. Graham said he had been working on this bill with Senator Blumenthal and several others for months.
India, China, and Brazil Targeted
In a post on the social media platform X, Graham described the bill as timely. He said that Ukraine is making concessions for peace, while Putin is only talking and continuing to kill innocent people. He further added, "This bill will give President Trump tremendous power against countries like China, India, and Brazil to encourage them to stop buying cheap Russian oil, which funds Putin's bloodshed against Ukraine."
What is the Russia Sanctions Bill?
In the post, Graham expressed hope for strong bipartisan support for the bill early next week. According to information on the official US Congress website, the proposed bill is called the Sanctioning of Russia Act of 2025. It includes penalties on individuals and entities, as well as increasing duties on all goods and services imported from Russia to the US to at least 500% of their value.
This move against Russia comes amidst ongoing peace negotiations for Ukraine. On January 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with members of a US delegation, where they discussed ways to end the war. The delegation included former President Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The day before, Trump had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unhappy with him because India was having to pay high tariffs.
