U.S. Senate may begin advancing Russia sanctions bill next week – Graham
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham stated that both chambers of Congress are ready to impose sanctions against Russia, with consideration potentially beginning as early as next week.
He made the statement during a press conference in Kyiv, according to Censor.NET.
According to Graham, U.S. senators and members of Congress are awaiting information from Ukraine on the current state of the war and how sanctions might affect dictator Putin’s war machine.
"This summer is a card game. The first cards will be played by the United States Senate and House of Representatives, where we will impose sanctions on countries that purchase Russian oil to keep its war machine running. From there, we’ll go to Paris, and then to Germany. This must be a summer of coordination," the senator said.
In his view, there is nothing — including the negotiations in Istanbul — that would indicate Russia’s genuine interest in peace. Therefore, the next meeting in Istanbul with the Ukrainian side is unlikely to yield any results.
"So when these two weeks pass, I believe it will become clear to everyone that Russia is playing the entire world — not just the United States. We are going to change the game for Russia. The game Putin is playing will soon change. The United States will strike him, and strike him hard, when it comes to sanctions. China, the game you are playing with Russia will change too. If you continue to buy cheap Russian oil — the fuel for Putin’s war machine — then all your goods entering the United States will be hit with a 500% tariff," Graham emphasized.
He also said he would talk to European partners about lowering the price cap on Russian oil.
"Ukraine is not losing this war. That is Russian propaganda. If you look at the map from a year ago and compare it to now, you’ll see that it has barely changed," Graham added.
As a reminder, in early April, 50 U.S. lawmakers — led by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal — introduced a bipartisan bill proposing sanctions against Russia should the Kremlin sabotage peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.
The bill provides for the imposition of both primary and secondary sanctions on Russia. In particular, it envisions 500% tariffs on countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and oil products.
