The Trump administration will support a bill that would impose heavy financial sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, increasing economic pressure on Moscow, all in an attempt to end Russia's four-year war against Ukraine, CBS reported, quoted by Focus.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut told CBS that the White House has approved the latest draft of a bipartisan bill on sanctions against Russia. Both senators stressed that Ukraine is turning the tide on the battlefield and that Russian President Vladimir Putin must be brought to the negotiating table. Graham told CBS that Putin's constant attacks are a factor in Donald Trump's thinking, and that the president has found Ukraine's recent success on the battlefield convincing.
The bipartisan bill would allow for high tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and natural gas, allowing the Kremlin to fund its military operations. China and India are the two countries that buy the largest amounts, CBS noted.
Ukrainian armed forces said they had carried out drone strikes overnight on 21 Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov as part of a campaign to deprive Russian forces in occupied Ukrainian territories of fuel, Reuters reported.
The statement said four tugboats, two cargo ships and a dredger used to provide military logistics and support port infrastructure were also targeted.