US President Donald Trump said that he does not rule out the possibility of signing a bill proposed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, which aims to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
“It will depend on whether Russia moves in the direction of peace. We seek to achieve a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. We want to save a lot of people from being killed, and save a lot of money too, because we spend way more on this war than the EU,” Trump said.
The new bill that would increase restrictions placed on Russia not only includes new sanctions but also proposes a 500% duty on imports from countries that continue to purchase Russian oil, gas, and uranium.
However, after signing the mineral deal between the US and Ukraine, Trump finds himself at a crossroads regarding whether to exert direct pressure on the Kremlin. This agreement is unlikely to soften Russian dictator Putin’s resistance to Trump’s peace plan, and the White House does not yet know how to address this. The Trump administration currently also lacks consensus on what will happen next, as well as on the necessity of imposing new sanctions targeting Russia.