U.S. Senate Weighs Sanctions Bill As Russia Stalls Peace Talks

Forbes

3 days ago

US Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal speak on Mykhailivska Square during a press ... More conference in Kyiv on May 30, 2025, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP) (Photo by TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images)
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal met with European and Ukrainian officials last week to discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. During the session, the two senators briefed their counterparts on their new joint bill, which, if passed, would impose stiff new sanctions on the Russian Federation.
For five months, the United States has attempted to broker a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. But Russian leaders have continued to launch missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, which retaliates in kind on strategic targets. As such, in an interview with CBS' 'Face the Nation' on July 13, Graham and Blumenthal stated that the new sanctions bill on Russia would impose a '500% tariff on imports from countries that purchase Russian uranium, gas, and oil,' as well as other products.
Currently, several countries in South America, Africa, and Asia continue to conduct business with Russia.
But if the new bill is passed, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 would put pressure on countries that continue to conduct business with Russia. It would force them to rethink their trade relations with the Russian Federation. By extension, fewer finances would mean less purchasing power for Russia to finance its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The proposed legislation currently has 84 cosponsors, indicating it has strong bipartisan support. Several Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Mike Johnson, also welcomed the motion.
'There's a tremendous amount of bipartisan support [for this bill] here in the Senate,' said Senate Majority Leader John Thune in an interview reported by The Hill. 'I hope that we can get it on the floor before the August recess.'
It appears that the White House is also in support of the sanctions proposal. During an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on July 14, President Donald Trump stated that he was 'very, very unhappy with Russia,' but that the U.S. would impose new financial penalties on the Russian Federation if a ceasefire agreement is not reached within 50 days.
How the sanctions bill will proceed, however, is unclear. Throughout the attempted negotiation process since February 2025, the United States has threatened a series of ultimatums if Russia did not reach a ceasefire. American officials gave the Russian Federation several two-week deadlines to achieve peace with Ukraine. But as the proposals were introduced throughout the spring, the attempts at peace were largely ignored.
For example, in March, the United States met with Ukrainian and Russian officials to discuss a 30-day ceasefire on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Reuters, the Kyiv Independent, and U.S. News and World Report then published reports stating that Russia had violated the energy infrastructure ceasefire at least 30 times.
Then, in April, the Russian Federation proposed a three-day ceasefire during the Easter and Passover holidays. The temporary truce was violated shortly afterward when the Russians launched drone and missile strikes throughout Ukraine.
Despite violating the peace attempts in March and April, the United States did not respond to its ultimatums issued to Russia. Instead, the U.S. offered a new set of ultimatums as it hoped to broker a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
It is therefore unclear whether the sanctions bill will be introduced if Russia fails to uphold a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine within the next 50 days. Nonetheless, Republicans and Democrats have both stated that they are ready to continue supporting Ukraine during Russia's ongoing invasion. Many senators are also anxiously awaiting the introduction of the new sanctions bill. In their view, stiffer penalties will be the only way to force Russia to end its war.
In short, current developments suggest that a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it remains to be seen how the Senate will proceed with its new sanctions bill to force Russia to stop its war in Ukraine.