President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Republican lawmakers are preparing legislation that would impose sanctions on any country that continues to do business with Russia.
The Kremlin was contacted for comment by email outside normal working hours.
Why It Matters
Trump has cast himself as a “peacemaker,” eager to add the war in Ukraine to the list of conflicts he claims to have helped resolve. So far, however, his attempts to prod Russian President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations have not produced a breakthrough.
Instead, Putin has hardened his stance and intensified attacks on Ukraine. Kyiv and several European partners have urged Trump to respond with stronger measures against Moscow.
Sanctioning countries that maintain commercial ties with Russia would amount to sweeping “secondary sanctions,” affecting some U.S. partners and putting additional strain on Russia’s already weakened economy.
What To Know
Asked by a reporter whether it was time for Congress to act to increase pressure on Russia and Putin, Trump replied: “Well I hear they’re doing that, and that’s OK with me.”
He said Republicans are advancing legislation that would impose “very tough” penalties on any nation doing business with Russia and noted that Iran could be added to the package, something he said he had recommended. Under the concept he described, any country that continues trade with Russia would face severe sanctions.
Trump had resisted imposing new measures on Moscow for months. But on October 22, he announced sanctions targeting Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, after complaining that his peace talks with Putin were going nowhere.
Russia’s main energy customers include China, which buys most of its coal and crude oil; Turkey, a major buyer of oil products; and the European Union, which is the largest customer for liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Several U.S. allies—including Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Brazil—also import smaller volumes of Russian energy, CREA data shows.
Beyond energy, many countries sell agricultural products to Russia, while others buy Russian-made weapons. Those defense customers include Iran, India, China, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Algeria, Egypt and Myanmar. Iran and North Korea have also supplied Russia with arms during the war.
What People Are Saying
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council and a former president, wrote in October on social media that anyone who still had doubts should now recognize the United States as an enemy, and said Trump’s stance shows that the self-styled “peacemaker” has chosen a path of confrontation with Russia.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, responding in October to U.S. sanctions on Russia, said that Beijing believes negotiations and dialogue—not coercion and pressure—are the only workable way to resolve the war in Ukraine.
What Happens Next
Trump did not give a timeline for when the sanctions bill might be introduced or pass Congress, and key details of the proposed legislation—including how far the secondary sanctions would go—remain unclear.
