US Senate postpones tough sanctions on Russia as Israel-Iran conflict escalates - Media
Photo: US Senator Lindsey Graham (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The US Senate is postponing consideration of the bill on tough sanctions against Russia at least until July. The main reason is the escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel, which is currently Washington’s priority, Semafor reports.
According to the news agency, Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are focusing on a revised version of their bill, which would protect Ukraine’s allies from certain sanctions related to trade with Russia and include other technical changes. However, their hopes of having the bill passed by the Senate this month have faded due to other emerging priorities.
Specifically, Republican leaders want next week’s consideration of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, while Iran is pushing the American leader toward the brink of direct military confrontation. Additionally, Trump has not given the Senate a "green light" to approve the sanctions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, said that a "July timeframe" for considering sanctions against Russia is the most likely at this time.
"We’re very open to moving, we’re trying to work with the administration from a timing standpoint," he said.
Meanwhile, Graham said the Senate "is going to have to wait a bit" on the Russia sanctions, without specifying exact timelines.
"Things are changing now with Iran … that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about Russia or Ukraine. Iran is center stage, but sooner rather than later," the senator said.
Devastating sanctions against Russia
In early April, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill to impose tough sanctions on Russia for refusing long-term peace with Ukraine.
Earlier, we reported that the US Senate was ready to approve the bill imposing strict sanctions on Russia if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not show a willingness for peace.
These sanctions would be implemented if Russia refuses to conduct sincere negotiations for a lasting peace with Ukraine or undertakes other actions, including military invasion, that undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty after a peace agreement. The law also establishes a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.
Graham said he has enough support in the House of Representatives to bring the bill for consideration there as well. Moreover, Trump would not be able to veto the bill because overriding a veto requires 67 votes in the Senate, and the bill has support from 81 senators.
However, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Trump administration is dissatisfied with Graham’s bill, prompting White House officials to attempt to significantly weaken the measures.
One proposal was to allow the American leader to decide independently whom to sanction. The Trump administration also suggested replacing all "shall" wording with "may."
Additionally, US President Donald Trump said he has his own internal deadline for when to impose sanctions on Russia.
