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U.S. senator urges faster approval of “hellish” sanctions on Russia
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Elections & Politics

U.S. senator urges faster approval of “hellish” sanctions on Russia

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Senator Richard Blumenthal urged the U.S. House to advance a sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, calling the war in Ukraine extremely critical.
  • The bill would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas, with an exemption for countries reducing limited gas imports.
  • The measure passed the Senate 86-11 but faces criticism from some Democrats, who say it would give President Donald Trump excessive authority.

Richard Blumenthal is pressing the U.S. House of Representatives to move quickly on what he calls “hellish” sanctions against Russia, arguing that the war in Ukraine has reached an extremely critical moment.

This is an extremely urgent moment, not only because Putin may try to escalate the conflict, but also because he is facing serious economic difficulties.

— Richard BlumenthalArgument for immediate sanctions against Russia.

The Connecticut Democrat said sanctions should be imposed now because Russian President Vladimir Putin could try to escalate the conflict and is facing serious economic difficulties. In his view, a bill restricting revenue for Russia’s war machine could sharply reduce Putin’s ability to continue the war.

The Senate passed the sanctions measure by an 86-11 vote before leaving for its August recess. The initiative has now moved to the House, which is expected to return next week after a five-week break. The legislation would cover Russia and Iran and give the U.S. president authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five biggest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas.

A sanctions bill restricting the flow of revenue to his war machine could completely undermine his ability to continue this cruel and bloody war.

— Richard BlumenthalDescription of the proposed bill’s intended effect on Russia’s war effort.

The bill would exempt countries that import less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia while taking steps to reduce those imports. Some Democrats oppose the measure because they believe it would give Donald Trump too much power. Blumenthal defended it as the result of negotiations with the U.S. trade representative, the White House, and officials from both parties.

The Senate passed it by 86 votes to 11. Few bills these days receive such broad support.

— Richard BlumenthalDefense of the measure’s bipartisan backing.

Blumenthal said Russia faces the prospect of a $125 billion deficit, equivalent to 5% of gross domestic product, while interest on its public debt stands at 14%. After visiting Ukraine the previous week, he urged President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet members of Congress. “I have great hope that he will do it, because he is Ukraine’s most determined defender,” Blumenthal said. He also argued that Ukraine is making progress and can change the course of the war.

I have great hope that he will do it, because he is Ukraine’s most determined defender.

— Richard BlumenthalComment on Volodymyr Zelenskyy potentially meeting members of Congress.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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