Overview

• The Sanctioning Russia Act would levy 500% tariffs on nations trading with Russia, chiefly targeting India and China to pressure them to halt oil and goods imports
• It has drawn 84 bipartisan Senate co-sponsors and incorporates a presidential waiver granting Trump discretion over whether to activate the duties
• Administration advisers have urged lawmakers to soften enforcement by substituting “shall” with “may” clauses and carving out exemptions for Ukraine-supporting partners
• Senator Lindsey Graham touts the measure as an “economic bunker buster” and says Trump personally told him to move the bill forward
• The Kremlin denounces the proposal as driven by Russophobia and warns it could undermine negotiations toward a Ukraine peace settlement