On Thursday evening, after more than 15 months of impasse, the House of Representatives passed a bill ordering the imposition of new sanctions on Russia, including all major energy companies and financial institutions. Breaking the deadlock required a rebellion by some politicians of the ruling party who voted on the project, bypassing the role of the leadership.
– This is the moment when you choose between being Churchill or Chamberlain – said one of the “rebels”, Don Bacon.
Despite this breakthrough, the path to imposing new sanctions and increasing pressure on Russia is still winding: the bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by the president. One of the main proponents of Ukraine aid in the Senate, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a close friend of former President Joe Biden, is not optimistic.
— The truth is that President Trump simply does not want to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin, which is a mistake. This is in the interests of Poland, the United States and Ukraine. But he (the president) has so far resisted it, the senator said in an interview with PAP. As he recalled, just like in the House, also in the Senate, all bills regarding sanctions against Russia have been consistently blocked for over a year.
“It was President Trump who blocked this vote for months, so it's hard to think that will change,” he added. He emphasized that the situation could only be changed by the tough attitude of a large part of Republican senators, who would, for example, make their vote on the budget bill conditional on allowing the sanctions bill to be voted on.
“The breakthrough will shake the Senate”
Not all supporters of tightening sanctions against Russia are equally pessimistic.
— The further path is not clear, but it is not a hopeless case, one of the Democrats involved in the creation of the law told PAP. — As we did in the House, Democrats may use some procedural tricks to force this vote. And then there will definitely be votes, he added.
On Thursday, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the co-authors of the bill, announced that he would go to the Senate to persuade his party colleagues to support the bill. Congressman Bacon, in turn, expressed his suspicion that the breakthrough in the House would “shake up the Senate.”
“I don't know if they'll pass this particular bill, but now they'll know we can pass something. I've talked to Republicans in the Senate and they will do something. I don't know yet what it will be, said a ruling party politician.
Loan to Ukraine
In addition to the bill adopted by the House, which requires the president to impose sanctions and provides for a loan of $8 billion for the purchase of arms for Ukraine and its allies from the region, other bills are pending in the Senate. These include: bill by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal with the signatures of as many as 80 out of 100 senators. It assumes that the president will have the opportunity (but not the obligation) to impose additional sanctions and tariffs of up to 500%. for goods from countries purchasing Russian crude oil.
Trump himself, followed by many politicians from his party, emphasized that he supported the Graham Act, provided that it gave him decision-making freedom. These statements have not yet translated into concrete actions.
