The presented draft for tightening sanctions against Russia will most likely be significantly softened, writes Politico, citing its sources.
According to them, the huge 500% tariffs envisaged in the proposal of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham will simply destroy the trade ties of the United States itself.
„A 500% tariff is essentially a hard break in ties between the United States and the world's largest economies, warned Kevin Book, managing director of the research company Clear View Energy Partners.
Graham, the publication writes, has already acknowledged this, offering broad exceptions for countries that support Ukraine.
At the same time, it will be very difficult for the countries affected by this bill to immediately stop buying energy from Russia. The United States, which itself depends on imports of enriched uranium for its nuclear reactors, could violate the possible sanctions regime, explains Politico.
“This would cause great harm to Americans“, said Edward Fishman, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.
On Saturday, Bloomberg reported that US senators were not ready to pass Lindsey Graham's bill for new sanctions against Russia without the approval of President Donald Trump. The document proposes imposing restrictions on key Russian officials and sectors of the economy, as well as sanctions on countries that cooperate with Moscow.
On Friday,The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is seeking to weaken Graham's bill.* According to the publication, the Trump administration fears that tightening sanctions will harm the US leader's attempts to establish dialogue with Moscow and end the Ukrainian conflict.