Trump backs bill to sanction China, India over Russian oil, US senator says

Trump has ‘greenlit’ bipartisan propulsion to authorisation countries that bargain Russian vigor exports, Lindsey Graham says.

United States President Donald Trump has backed a measure to enforce sanctions on countries that bargain Russian oil, including China and India, an influential Republican legislator has said.

Lindsey Graham, a legislator for the US authorities of South Carolina, said connected Wednesday that Trump had “greenlit” the bipartisan bill following a “very productive” meeting.

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Graham’s Sanctioning Russia Act, drafted with Democrat Richard Blumenthal, would springiness Trump the authorization to enforce a tariff of up to 500 percent connected imports from countries doing concern with Russia’s vigor sector.

“This measure volition let President Trump to punish those countries who bargain inexpensive Russian lipid fueling Putin’s warfare machine,” Graham said successful a statement, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

““This measure would springiness President Trump tremendous leverage against countries similar China, India and Brazil to incentivize them to halt buying the inexpensive Russian lipid that provides the financing for Putin’s bloodbath against Ukraine.”

China and Russia proceed to beryllium large buyers of Russia’s lipid contempt US and European sanctions imposed connected the Russian vigor assemblage successful effect to Moscow’s warfare successful Ukraine.

China bought astir fractional of Russia’s crude lipid exports successful November, portion India took astir 38 percent of exports, according to an investigation by the Centre for Research connected Energy and Clean Air. Brazil dramatically ramped up its acquisition of subsidised Russian lipid aft the penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, but those imports person fallen substantially successful caller months.

The latest US push to increase pressure connected Russia comes arsenic Moscow and Kyiv are engaged in Washington-brokered negotiations to bring an extremity to the nearly four-year war.

On Tuesday, the Trump medication for the archetypal clip gave its backing to European proposals for binding information guarantees for Ukraine, including post-war truce monitoring and a European-led multinational force.

Russia, which has repeatedly said that it volition not judge immoderate deployment of NATO subordinate countries’ soldiers successful Ukraine, has yet to bespeak that it would enactment specified information measures.

In his connection connected his bill, Graham said the authorities was timely successful airy of the existent concern successful Ukraine.

“This volition beryllium well-timed, arsenic Ukraine is making concessions for bid and Putin is each talk, continuing to termination the innocent,” helium said.