Donald Trump talked about the new tariffs during a meeting with journalists on Sunday aboard Air Force One, which was also attended by Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the sanctions bill against Russia. Trump said he talks to Graham all the time about sanctions legislation and invited him to talk about “a great piece of legislation that's coming.”
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What sanctions does the US plan against Russia?
When is the draft law on sanctions to be voted on?
What tariffs does Senator Graham's bill include?
Was there an attack on Putin's residence?
“If we want to end this conflict, we need to put pressure on Putin's clients,” Graham said.
The context of Graham's statement showed that it was about his draft, which has been pending in Congress since April last year, providing for additional sanctions on Russia, including oil companies and the “shadow fleet”, as well as tariffs of up to 500%. for goods from countries purchasing Russian raw materials.
— I hope that the project will be put to a vote and he (the president) will choose a number from zero to 500 – the president will choose, no one else will choose. “But if someone buys cheap Russian oil and sustains Putin's war machine, we're trying to make sure the president has the ability to make that a difficult choice through tariffs,” Senator Graham said.
Despite the support of 85 of 100 senators, Graham's bill was stuck in the Senate committee due to Donald Trump's disagreement on the matter. Back in December, politicians from both parties in the House of Representatives announced that they would force a vote on a similar, although amended, sanctions bill in January. The version in the House does not mention 500%. tariffs, but about mandatory sanctions. The new package would prohibit Americans from investing in Russia and concluding transactions with Russian entities, and would close a loophole in sanctions that allows the import of Russian oil processed by refineries in other countries, including in India.
Alleged attack on Putin's residence. The President of the United States spoke again
During the press conference aboard Air Force One, Trump also referred to Russia's claim about an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the night of December 29 on Vladimir Putin's residence in Valdai. Trump confirmed reports from American services that such an attack never took place.
“There was something that happened pretty close, but it had nothing to do with this (the attack on the mansion),” Trump said. The US president added that he initially believed Putin's words because he had no other information, but after checking the matter, he did not think that such an attack would take place. He again expressed hope that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine.
