Trump’s team aims to significantly weaken Graham’s sanctions bill against Russia - WSJ
Photo: Donald Trump, US president (Getty Images)
The US President Donald Trump’s administration is not satisfied with Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill on tough sanctions against Russia in its current form, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the outlet, the Trump administration is trying to persuade Graham to significantly weaken his sanctions bill against Russia. White House officials have secretly contacted the senator’s office in recent weeks regarding this issue.
As the WSJ writes, the US leader fears that such harsh sanctions could hinder his goal of restoring relations between the US and Russia, despite his desire to end the war in Ukraine.
In particular, Graham is being urged to include a provision in the bill that would allow the US president to decide personally who should be sanctioned.
Additionally, according to the outlet, the Trump administration has proposed changing the binding nature of the bill by replacing all instances of "shall" with "may."
Graham’s office criticized the White House’s suggestions, noting that the president already has the authority to impose sanctions at his own discretion.
Sanctions bill
Senator Lindsey Graham has introduced a bill to Congress proposing tough sanctions against Russia. The majority of senators have already expressed support for the legislation.
Specifically, the bill stipulates that the US would impose 500% tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.
Notably, yesterday, June 5, President Donald Trump stated that if Russia’s war against Ukraine does not end by a certain date, he may impose anti-Russian sanctions.
