US President Donald Trump has “greenlit” the bipartisan Russia Sanctions Bill, which could be used to penalise Moscow’s trading partners, including India, China and Brazil, over their purchase of Russian oil, said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent defence hawk.
The Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill would authorise the US President to levy up to 500 per cent tariffs on nations that knowingly purchase Russian oil or uranium and “fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine”.
Graham said he met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday, during which the President extended his support to the bill that has been in the works for months. The development was also confirmed by a White House official while talking to the Associated Press.
What The New US Bill Means?
US Senator Lindsey Graham, who introduced the bill along with Senator Richard Blumenthal, said the measure is designed to choke off funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine by targeting nations buying “cheap Russian oil.” He explicitly named India, China, and Brazil as countries that could face pressure under the legislation.
The legislation mandates that the US President “must increase the rate of duty on all goods and services imported into the United States from countries that knowingly engage in the exchange of Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products to at least 500% of their value.”
