Zelenskyy to address all 100 US senators as Graham’s Russia sanctions bill advances
Volodymyr Zelensky (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)
Already today, on the night of July 29, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with US senators as the Senate considers the hellish sanctions bill against Russia, according to The Hill.
According to numerous sources, all 100 US senators have been invited to the meeting with Zelenskyy, scheduled for Tuesday at 6:00 PM in the Capitol building. In Kyiv time, this will be 1:00 AM on Wednesday, July 29.
The meeting will take place against the backdrop of the US Senate's consideration of a bill that provides for the imposition of tougher sanctions against Russia and its trading partners due to Moscow's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
This concerns the sanctions package that the late Senator Lindsey Graham was pushing. And this bill, which has bipartisan support, will likely be a subject of discussion during the meeting between Zelenskyy and the senators.
It is also known that US President Donald Trump has approved this bill, but demands that it include the expansion of sanctions against Iran and Hezbollah.
The Hill notes that over the past few months, small groups have met with the Ukrainian president to discuss aid to Kyiv and the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia.
In addition, in February, a large group of senators from both parties met with Zelenskyy in Munich, and some US lawmakers have also met with him during his previous visits to Washington.
The Hill added that on Tuesday, Zelenskyy will be in the US capital to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. In addition, he has a meeting scheduled with Trump for that day.
Graham's 'hellish sanctions' against Russia
The media reported that the vote on Graham's sanctions package against Russia and its trading partners was expected to take place this week.
However, despite general support for the document, some Democrats are blocking it. The reason is that the document originally assumed that the imposition or lifting of restrictions would be decided through the US Congress.
But Trump, for his part, insisted that the text be rewritten so that, under the new version, he himself could decide when and against whom to impose sanctions and when to lift them. This, in turn, does not sit well with Democrats.
Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russia may try to disrupt the vote on this document. According to him, Moscow may once again begin to simulate a desire for peace.
