The bill on sanctions against Russia may be put to a vote before the end of the current session of the Senate, US Democratic Party Senator Richard Blumenthal, who was visiting Kiev on 16 February, has said.
He, along with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is a co-author of a bipartisan bill on sanctions against Russia, which envisages, among other things, increased sanctions pressure, including possible duties on Russian energy imports.
“Hopefully, (the bill-ed.) is about to come up for a vote. We have a clear promise from the Senate leader to secure a vote before the end of the current session. I’m very, very hopeful for success. Working in the U.S. Senate, I never use the word ‘sure,’ but I know this issue is of great concern to people here,” Blumenthal said.
According to him, the progress of the initiative depended on the position of US President Donald Trump, and after the meeting of the American and Russian presidents in Alaska, there were hopes that the US leader would support the document.
“We were waiting for a ‘green light’ from Donald Trump. And every viewer or listener knows that Donald Trump hesitated. It’s such a polysyllabic word that means he was floundering from side to side. Anyone watching him right now is probably already dizzy. We had hoped that after the Alaska meeting he would strongly support the sanctions bill. We had to wait for him to give the go-ahead. We hope – and I emphasise the word ‘hope’ – that Senator Toon’s pledge means we will move forward,” he said, referring to Senate Republican Majority Leader John Toon.
The senator also sharply criticised the actions of Russia and its president.
“And I’m sick and tired of Putin playing games with and taunting the United States of America – and that’s exactly what he’s doing, dragging out the process and blocking decisions. Let’s be frank: the American people should be outraged and ashamed that we have tolerated this kind of bullying from Russia over these past months,” Senator Blumenthal added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported about his meeting with US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse in Kiev on 16 February. He said that during the meeting he thanked the United States for its strong bipartisan support and work for peace.
Earlier, in early January, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that US President Donald Trump had “given the green light” to a bipartisan bill on sanctions against Russia.
The bill envisages, among other things, the imposition of 500 per cent duties on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and petroleum products. The initiative was supported by more than 80 out of 100 senators.
In November, Reuters quoted a senior White House official as saying that President Trump was ready to sign the bill to impose new sanctions against Russia, provided that he retains the right to make the final decision on any restrictions.