US senators reach agreement on new sanctions against Russia and Iran
A bipartisan group of US senators has reached agreement on a long-awaited bill that would enable President Donald Trump to impose additional sanctions on major buyers of Russian energy resources and on Iran.
Source: Bloomberg, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Trump has indicated that he supports the measure, originally spearheaded by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
A procedural vote on the bill is scheduled for late evening on 28 July.
The legislation extends sanctions against Iran and separately targets exporters of Russian gas and oil.
According to text released this week, the document grants the US president the authority to impose tariffs on the five largest purchasers of Russian crude oil and natural gas, as well as on five countries that most actively assist Russia in circumventing energy sanctions.
Although the bill was long championed by Graham and other supporters of Ukraine, it could jeopardise already fragile US trade relations with China and India, which are among the leading buyers of Russian energy resources.
Background:
- On the evening of 28 July, in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with senators who support the passage of the bill.
- Zelenskyy will also meet with Trump in Washington; their talks will be closed to the press.
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