White House confirms Trump will sign Russia sanctions bill - WSJ
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
White House official confirms that US President Donald Trump plans to sign the bill on sanctions against Russia. The document, passed by the House of Representatives with 262 votes in favor and 159 against, gives Trump the right to impose tariffs on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, according to The Wall Street Journal.
What the law entails
The document grants Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas. It also extends sanctions against Iran until 2031.
According to Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, among the five largest importers of Russian fossil fuels, China accounts for 51% of Moscow's revenues from such exports.
Position of the White House
A White House spokesperson confirmed that Trump plans to sign the bill.
Why now?
Congressman Michael McCaul, who initiated the bill, emphasized: passing the document ahead of the winter months is important because it puts pressure on Putin and his allies before Russia may begin targeting civilian infrastructure - access to electricity and water.
McCaul stated that this would hit them where it really hurt and provide the leverage needed to bring Putin to the negotiating table. He added that it would also pressure China to force Putin to the table, as China would suffer from the tariffs as well.
Skepticism of Democrats
At the same time, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, expressed doubt that the law would achieve its goal.
Meeks stated that the measure gave President Trump broad new tariff powers and allowed him to cancel the very sanctions he allegedly imposed. He added that Trump could have imposed those sanctions already but had not done so for the previous 19 months.
Reaction of the law's supporters
Key supporters of the document celebrated after its passage. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who had led the promotion of the law in the Senate, stated that the people of Ukraine were not alone. Addressing Putin, he added that Russia’s economy was faltering and that they would strangle its war machine.
On Thursday, September 17, the US House of Representatives finally passed the law on sanctions against Russia - the document, authored by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, is now heading to the president for signature.
For more details on who exactly might be affected by the new restrictions and what consequences they will have, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.
Additionally, debates on Graham's "hellish sanctions" bill against Russia took place in the House of Representatives - they began immediately after the procedural vote.
