US Congress passes sweeping Russia sanctions bill

On Wednesday, US lawmakers passed an extensive bill aimed at pressuring Russia due to its conflict in Ukraine, subsequently sending the legislation to President Donald Trump. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the package by a vote of 262-159, granting final congressional approval to the most substantial US legislative action against Moscow since President Trump assumed office.

President Trump has indicated his intention to sign the measure, which cleared the Senate with a 86-11 vote the previous month. The legislation zeroes in on Russia's energy and defense sectors, President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials, as well as Moscow's clandestine fleet of tankers employed to evade Western sanctions.

Moreover, the legislation empowers President Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on key purchasers of Russian oil and gas – potentially including China and India – in an attempt to drain the country's war financing resources. However, the broad tariff provisions have sparked a notable division among Democrats, who largely back Ukraine but have been hesitant to grant President Trump enhanced trade authority.

Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the bill as "deeply flawed." "White House lawyers drafted the current text to maximize President Trump's authority to impose new import taxes on the American people, and to minimize any obligation to actually impose new sanctions on Russia or its enablers," he stated.