25 Republicans and 25 Democrats united on Tuesday to impose sanctions that will be applied to Russia if it refuses to engage in good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, reports Reuters.
The bill proposes 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, a ban on investments in Russia, and monitoring of its "shadow fleet," notes The Bell. The chances of the document being passed are quite high, but the voting date has not yet been set.
The leading authors of the bill, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, stated that it provides for the imposition of primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and organizations supporting Russian aggression in Ukraine if Moscow does not engage in negotiations or undertakes other efforts undermining Ukraine's sovereignty after any peace agreement is concluded.
The bill represents a rare example of bipartisanship in the divided US Congress. A similar bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, also with support from Republicans and Democrats.
"Sanctions against Russia require the imposition of tariffs for countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other goods. They are not just tough for no reason," the two senators stated in a declaration.
"The prevailing opinion in the US Senate is that Russia is the aggressor, and that this terrible war and Putin's aggression must end now and be contained in the future," they stated.