American Senate has postponed advancing the so-called Graham Bill, which proposed tariffs of up to 500% on Russia and its trade partners

According to Politico, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he decided to delay pushing forward this package of sanctions because Donald Trump previously stated that if Russia and Ukraine failed to reach a peace agreement by late summer, he would take action himself.

Thune said, "It seems the president now intends to try doing something himself. If the president at some point believes it makes sense and can add value to negotiations and the leverage he needs, we will take action. We will be ready to work at any time."

On Monday, Trump threatened to impose up to 100% "secondary tariffs" on countries that continue to maintain trade relations with Russia.

The Senate's bill would authorize higher tariffs on multiple countries, including China, India, and Brazil.

Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, "If we do not achieve a Ukraine-Russia peace agreement within 50 days, we will implement secondary tariff sanctions. These tariffs are very, very powerful."

The bill, drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, with 85 co-sponsors, aims to grant Trump the power to impose tariffs of no less than 500% on imported goods from countries that continue to cooperate with Russia.

In addition, the bill allows Trump to raise tariffs on other products from Russia to the same level, although due to existing sanctions, this measure may have limited effectiveness.

Thune suggested that Trump's threats mean the Senate may no longer need to pass the Graham-Blumenthal bill.

He said, "We will do our best... Obviously, we need to coordinate strategy with the White House and the House of Representatives. Therefore, we are always ready to work."

On the other hand, Trump considered 500% tariffs too high, saying, "Higher rates make little difference. A 100% rate can have the same effect."

Graham and Blumenthal in a joint statement praised Trump's tariff threats and his plan to provide American-made weapons for NATO to Ukraine. They said:

"However, the key measures to end this war are to impose higher tariffs on countries that support Putin's military machine, such as China, India, and Brazil - because they purchase cheap Russian oil and gas."

But they added, "Our goal is not simply to increase tariffs and expand sanctions, but to encourage Putin to sit at the negotiating table."

Since taking office, Trump has imposed tariffs of 10% or more on various products from around the world, and has also imposed additional tariffs on China. He has repeatedly threatened new "reciprocal" tariffs on multiple trading partners, applying pressure from multiple angles.

Trump has previously made new tariff threats to trading partners. Earlier this year, he promised to impose 25% secondary tariffs on countries importing oil from Venezuela, but has yet to fulfill this promise.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837664068830601/

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