U.S. President Donald Trump has approved moving forward with a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, opening the door for a potential Senate vote as early as next week, according to Senator Lindsey Graham.
If passed, the legislation would impose secondary sanctions on countries such as China, Brazil, and India that purchase Russian oil and gas, aiming to restrict a major source of funding for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine,” Graham said on Jan. 7. “This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine,” he added.
Graham confirmed that Trump gave the green light after a meeting on Wednesday, calling the discussion productive and focused on multiple policy issues.
The legislation, co-authored by Richard Blumenthal, has been stalled for months despite broad bipartisan backing.
The White House has not officially commented, and a final timeline for a Senate vote has not yet been confirmed.
Graham said Senate leadership has been working closely with the administration to finalize the bill, though similar efforts in the past have failed to gain traction.
For months, Graham, one of Congress's staunchest supporters of Ukraine, attempted to force a vote on the "overwhelmingly bipartisan" bill.
Despite his efforts, Trump reportedly pressured senators to soften the sanctions deal in an effort to negotiate a ceasefire with the Kremlin. The bill was never brought to a vote before the Senate amid Trump's pressure campaign.
After months of failing to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump imposed sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, marking the first time Trump imposed sanctions against Russia since he took office last January.
The sanctions bill announcement comes the same day as U.S. authorities seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker formerly known as Bella 1 in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit, the U.S. military announced on Jan. 7.
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