'A moment of extreme urgency': US pushes for immediate sanctions on Russia
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
US senator Richard Blumenthal has urged the House of Representatives to pass a bill imposing sanctions on Russia that previously cleared the Senate with broad bipartisan support. He said this is a "moment of extreme urgency" in the war against Ukraine.
Why now
"It is a moment of extreme urgency, for the reason that Putin may try to escalate, but also because Putin is on his heels economically. And this kind of sanctions bill, throttling the flow of revenue to his war machine could undercut completely his ability to wage this brutal, murderous war," Senator Blumenthal said on CBS News' Face the Nation.
What this bill envisages
The bill, titled The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil or gas, with exemptions for countries that import less than 15% of their gas from Russia while also reducing those imports.
Some House Democrats have raised concerns about expanding the president's powers, but Blumenthal defended the bill, calling it "the result of painstaking, sometimes painful, negotiations" with the US trade representative, the White House and lawmakers from both parties. According to Blumenthal, the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 86 to 11.
The senator highlighted key elements of the bill, including expanded presidential powers to impose tough sanctions on oligarchs and financial institutions, measures targeting the shadow fleet, and tariffs narrowed specifically to the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
How weak is Russian economy
Blumenthal says the sanctions bill could weaken Putin's position given the economic situation in Russia.
"His economy is on the verge of major crisis. He has a deficit looming of $125 billion, 5% of his GDP, an interest rate of 14% on his national debt," the senator said.
House vote outlook
Blumenthal said he is "very hopeful" that there will be enough Democratic support to pass the bill in the House of Representatives. He said that during his visit to Ukraine last week, he urged President Zelenskyy to meet with members of Congress, just as the Ukrainian leader had done in the Senate.
"I'm very hopeful that he will because he's Ukraine's strongest advocate," the senator added.
Blumenthal noted that during the meeting, Zelenskyy outlined his priorities, which the senator described as his "homework assignment," with the Russia sanctions bill at the top of the list.
As previously reported, on August 28, Russian forces struck warehouses with drones in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region, causing fire accompanied by explosions and ammunition detonations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ammunition detonations at the site were the second such incident after the one in Vyshneve city. He stressed that "such an offense is completely unacceptable" and said he expects the details to be presented to the public promptly.
Read the RBC-Ukraine report for a detailed look at the aftermath of this strike.
