US Congress has finally passed Graham’s bill on sanctions against Russia
On 16 September, the US House of Representatives passed a bill imposing sanctions on Russia, named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The bill provides for the possibility of imposing tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that purchase Russian energy resources or assist Russia in circumventing sanctions.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing "Suspilne".
The Graham Bill has been backed by the House of Representatives
262 members of Congress voted in favour of the bill, with 159 against.
The bill is intended to grant the US President the right to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that purchase Russian energy resources. The restrictions may also apply to states that help Russia circumvent sanctions.
Furthermore, the bill provides for sanctions against Russian officials, banks and the so-called ‘shadow fleet’. The bill also extends sanctions against Iran.
The US Senate backed the bill on 7 August. On 11 August, the bill was sent to the House of Representatives.
What the sanctions bill entails
The bill was drafted by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal. In total, it has 119 co-sponsors among members of Congress from the Democratic and Republican parties who support Ukraine.
The bill has been revised twice. Initially, before Graham’s death on 11 July, senators, in consultation with the White House, softened some of its provisions.
The first draft provided for the possibility of imposing tariffs on more than 60 countries. In the agreed version, the document focuses on the five main importers of Russian oil and the five importers of natural gas.
Initially, there was also talk of tariffs of 500 per cent for countries importing Russian oil and gas. The version agreed with the US President provides for a rate ranging from 0 to 100 per cent.
The specific tariff rates for individual countries will be determined by the US Trade Representative.
Following Graham’s death, Donald Trump, citing the late senator’s wishes, asked for sanctions against Iran and Hezbollah’s military wing to be added to the document.
The bill is to provide for sanctions against:
- Russian officials;
- Russian banks;
- ships in the shadow fleet;
- countries that purchase Russian energy resources;
- countries and companies that help Russia circumvent sanctions;
- Iran.
The document must now be submitted to US President Donald Trump for his signature.
