A bill proposed by lawmaker Lindsey Graham would slap 500% duties on any nation that purchases Russian uranium, gas, and oil
US President Donald Trump has privately urged lawmakers to advance a bill that would put secondary sanctions on Russia’s trading partners, Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed.
The bill would allow Trump to impose a minimum 500% tariff on goods and services from any country that trades in Russian oil, uranium, gas, or related products. Graham, the bill’s sponsor, has long unsuccessfully pushed to advance the measure, but earlier this week Trump signaled he would be “OK” with it if it passed.
Graham told reporters on Wednesday that Trump instructed Senate Majority Leader John Thune over the weekend to push the legislation forward.
“President Trump told Thune Sunday, when we were playing golf: move the bill,” Graham said, adding that within hours the White House sent him a statement saying it had “signed off on the bill.”
He said a call was scheduled later in the day with House and Senate members to discuss the measure, which he argued the US needs as “leverage” in talks with Russia on Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, Thune called Graham’s bill “an important tool” that could help bring about a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine. He was unsure it could pass this year, however, noting the Senate’s December agenda is already full.
Trump has increasingly pushed for sanctions on countries buying Russian oil in recent months, voicing frustration with the pace of talks between Moscow and Kiev. In August, he imposed a 25% tariff on Indian imports over New Delhi’s continued oil trade with Russia and later warned China of similar measures. He has also urged NATO and EU states to raise tariffs on Russian trade partners to attempt to pressure Moscow into a ceasefire.
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Russia has maintained it seeks a long-term, sustainable peace deal in the Ukraine conflict by addressing its root causes rather than accepting a temporary pause, which it views as a ploy to let Ukraine rebuild and rearm. Moscow has long condemned Western sanctions as politically motivated and illegal, warning they will eventually backfire.
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