Moscow has long criticized Western restrictions, warning that they violate international law and undermine global economic stability
US Senator Lindsey Graham has said he met with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier on Wednesday, where Trump “greenlit” the Russia sanctions bill that had been in the works for months. Graham added that a senate vote could take place in the middle of January.
In November, Trump proposed a roadmap to resolving the Ukraine conflict, which Kiev and its European backers rejected as favoring Russia, while accusing Moscow of delaying peace. Graham, a longtime Russia hawk, echoed that stance, claiming that Moscow has “rebuffed all our efforts” to end the conflict and would not sign a peace deal “until we increase pressure.” He was referring to a bill he authored that would authorize tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that continue to buy Russian energy products. Moscow has repeatedly criticized Western sanctions, warning that they violate international law and harm global economic stability.
“After a very productive meeting today with President Trump on a variety of issues, he greenlit the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that I have been working on for months with Senator Blumenthal and many others,” Graham posted on X.
The senator continued in his statement that the proposed bill would allow Trump “to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil.”
Trump had earlier floated the idea of sanctioning Russia’s trade partners amid frustration over stalled peace efforts, but he has so far gone no further than imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s trade with Moscow. India has denounced the move as unjustified.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cautioned against additional secondary sanctions or tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil, warning that such measures could trigger global energy price spikes. Even the EU, despite expanding its Russia sanctions to 19 packages, has refrained from penalizing third-country partners.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier called such tariff threats “dirty methods” aimed at suppressing rivals.
”When someone is trying to suppress rivals by 100- or even 500-percent tariffs or imposes sanctions after openly declaring that the reason is political, this is even more than inequality. This is a disrespect for human rights,” the minister added.
