Bill to sanction Russia's trading partners would get my backing, says Trump

By Catherine Lucey and María Paula Mijares Torres

 

President Donald Trump said proposed Senate legislation to sanction countries conducting business with Russia would be “okay with me,” his strongest indication yet that he would support a months long push to strangle Moscow’s funding.

 

“The Republicans are putting in legislation that is very tough sanctioning, etcetera, on any country doing business with Russia,” Trump told reporters before leaving Florida on Sunday to return to the White House. 

 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in October that he was ready to bring legislation long championed by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that sanctions Russia to a vote, but didn’t “want to commit to a hard deadline.”

 

The bill would allow Trump to impose tariffs of up to 500 per cent on imports from countries that buy Russian energy products and are not actively supporting Ukraine. This specifically targets major consumers of Russian energy, such as China and India. 

 

“We may add Iran to that,” Trump said Sunday, without elaborating.

 

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have pushed for legislation to punish Russia for its continued war on Ukraine. Trump had been reluctant to support it as he tried to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

 

Putin is showing no sign of letting up in his military campaign after almost four years of war in Ukraine, with Trump failing to sway Putin even after hosting the Russian leader for a summit in Alaska.

 

While Ukraine is increasingly striking Russian oil targets, Russia has intensified its air strikes on Ukraine and is pushing to capture the rail hub of Pokrovsk.