Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican and the author of a legislative initiative targeting Russia over its oil trade, announced that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for advancing the bill in Congress. However, passing the law would not result in automatic sanctions against the Russian Federation, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to ABC News.
During a live appearance on ABC News, Graham said that for the first time, Trump signaled his approval to move the bill forward while they were playing golf on Saturday. According to Graham, the president stated that it was time to act.
Graham mentioned that the bill would be brought to a vote after the July recess of Congress, which ends on July 6. He also expressed confidence that President Trump would sign the bill into law once it is passed.
Nevertheless, the senator emphasized that the proposed legislation does not include a requirement for mandatory sanctions. The final decision on whether or not to enforce sanctions would remain in the hands of the U.S. president.
“There’s a waiver in the bill. Mr. President, it’s your call whether to apply the sanctions. But we are giving President Trump a tool that he currently doesn’t have,” Graham explained.
He further stated that it would be up to the U.S. president to determine how the sanctions would be used in the future, adding, “but we are trying to bring Putin to the negotiating table.”
Earlier we wrote that Wyden urges Bessent to uphold sanctions and explain SWIFT comments.