Trump Administration Supports Sanctions Bill Targeting Purchasers of Russian Oil and Gas
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators announced that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to move forward with a bill imposing stringent sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports. This step aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow and dry up sources of funding for its war in Ukraine. The bill, introduced last year by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, had garnered support from over 80 senators. However, its discussion was previously delayed due to President Trump's efforts to reach a settlement to end the four-year ongoing war, according to U.S. media reports. In a joint statement, Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Richard Blumenthal, along with Republicans Roger Wicker and Lindsey Graham, stated they had "reached an agreement with the Trump administration to proceed with an updated version of the sanctions bill on Russia." They added that Russia has intensified its attacks on civilians, stressing the necessity for Congress and the U.S. administration to work together to provide tools that impose a "heavy price" on countries continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas. They consider these revenues to be a primary financier of Russian President Vladimir Putin's military machine. The Senate is expected to begin debating the bill starting Monday, following the conclusion of the U.S. Independence Day holiday. The bill, in its original form, stipulated imposing tariffs of 500% on countries importing oil or gas from Russia, in an attempt to reduce one of the Kremlin's most significant funding sources. The amendments agreed upon between the White House and Congress have not yet been disclosed. During his visit to Kyiv and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Senator Lindsey Graham expressed optimism about the possibility of ending the war, asserting that the sanctions bill "will become law." He added that it aims to increase the cost of continued support for Russia, while encouraging countries to shift towards alternative energy sources. President Trump had previously expressed his support for the bill on several occasions. He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during this week's NATO summit, confirming improved relations between them. He further announced his intention to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles domestically to meet its military needs. The White House has not issued an official comment on the agreement as of the time of this report.
