[By Guan Cha Wang Qi Qian] Local time on April 1, a draft of sanctions bill against Russia was jointly proposed by half of the members of the US Senate (25 Republican and 25 Democratic senators). The aim is to seek severe sanctions against Russia when it refuses to engage in "sincere lasting peace negotiations". According to the draft, the United States can impose a 500% tariff on countries purchasing oil, natural gas, uranium and other products from Russia.

According to a statement released on Senator Lindsey Graham's website, Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal are the main sponsors of the draft, leading 50 senators to propose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and its supporters.

The statement pointed out that "if Russia refuses to engage in sincere lasting peace negotiations with Ukraine or takes actions including 'military invasion' to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty after reaching a peace agreement, these sanctions will be implemented." This draft also seeks to impose a 500% tariff on goods from countries purchasing Russian oil, natural gas, uranium, and other products.

Graham and Blumenthal stated in the statement that this draft has received an overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. They also said, "These sanctions are severe for a reason... Like former President Trump, we are frustrated about the ceasefire issue with Russia and support Trump's wish for a lasting, just, and honorable peace."

The statement noted that the sanctions draft against Russia is ready, and if submitted to votes in the Senate and House of Representatives, it will receive overwhelming bipartisan and bicameral support. "We support an immediate ceasefire to ensure a lasting and honorable peace."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (right) and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal - Graham's personal website

Reuters reported that this sanctions draft targeting Russia is a rare example of bipartisanship cooperation in the severely divided US Congress. At the same time, the House of Representatives is proposing complementary legislation, which also receives support from bipartisan lawmakers.

The report mentioned that although many bipartisan lawmakers firmly support Ukraine and oppose Russia, since the Republicans took control of the House two years ago and Trump took control of the White House and the Senate earlier this year, more and more Republicans have become lukewarm towards Ukraine. After taking office, Trump adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Russia and attempted to mediate the end of the conflict in Ukraine.

On March 24 local time, the Russian and American delegations concluded their talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The next day, the Ukrainian and American delegations held the second round of talks in Riyadh. Subsequently, the three parties issued separate statements on the results of the talks on March 25, and both sides of the conflict agreed to a 30-day temporary ceasefire covering the Black Sea and energy strikes.

However, Reuters noted that as the draft of the sanctions against Russia was announced, Trump seemed increasingly impatient about the delay in the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

On March 30 local time, Trump expressed in an interview that he was "very angry" when he heard Russian President Vladimir Putin question the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and talked about Ukraine needing new leadership. He also threatened that if he believed that the failure to reach a ceasefire agreement was "Russia's fault", he would impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil.

The next day (March 31), Trump again expressed his hope to see Putin "reach an agreement" to end the conflict in Ukraine. Trump reiterated that if necessary, he would impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil. He also expressed disappointment over Ukraine and the lack of an agreement on rare earth minerals.

In response to Trump's threat to impose secondary tariffs on Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded on March 31: "China's position on the Ukraine crisis has been consistent and clear. We always believe that dialogue and negotiation are the only feasible way to solve the Ukraine crisis. China-Russia cooperation is neither targeted at third parties nor affected by third-party factors."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488615670884712998/

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