The co-sponsors of a new bipartisan package of US sanctions against Russia informed their European allies and Ukraine today about the bill that will be "a game changer", in an attempt to show their determination to help Kiev and force Moscow to sit at the negotiating table, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The bill, supported by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, envisages imposing 500% tariffs on imports of goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other resources. The tariffs will hit countries like China and India, which are considered Russia's main customers, buying about 70% of its energy exports and financing a significant part of its military machine, the AP notes.
Graham and Blumenthal told reporters in Rome that they hope the law will be submitted for a vote in the Senate before the August recess. They added that they are convinced that it will give President Donald Trump the tools he needs to force his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to start negotiations to end the war.
"We are no longer playing cat and mouse with Russia and sanctions", Graham said. "We are going after his (Putin's) customer base. And that is what I think the Europeans are most happy with," he added.
"This is not just a kind of continuation of our current strategy. "This is a real turning point," Blumenthal said. "It's a real game-changer because it says to Putin, 'We're going to hit you right where it hurts,'" he added.