Senate finalizes bipartisan bill to arm Trump with sanctions against Putin

Several senators, led by Republican Lindsey Graham, are finalizing a bipartisan bill that would provide Donald Trump with "strong" sanctions to use against Russia. The president has announced his willingness to sign the rule at a time when relations with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, are increasingly frosty. The rule provides for the imposition of tariffs of 500% on those countries that provide aid to Moscow.

Graham claimed Sunday afternoon that he already has an Upper House majority supporting his bill, which has gained traction as Washington's efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine face difficulties in succeeding.

The bill would allow Trump to"go after Putin's economy, and all the countries that prop up Putin's war machine," Graham told CBS news picked up by AFP. Trump, who has repeatedly said he is "disappointed" in Putin as Moscow launches deadly missile barrages against Kiev, has hinted that he would be open to tougher sanctions after six months of avoiding them by trying to persuade his Russian counterpart through dialogue.

Putin's "bullshit" on Ukraine

However, the Republican president's patience appeared to be wearing thin, telling reporters at a White House cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Putin was talking "a lot of bullshit" about Ukraine.

Last week, Trump also agreed to send Ukraine more weapons, including through a deal with NATO that would involve the alliance buying U.S. weaponry to send to Ukraine.

On Thursday, he appeared to back the legislative bill but did not say whether he would use it to impose sanctions on Moscow. "They're going to pass a very important and very aggressive sanctions bill, but it's up to the president whether he wants to implement it or not," Trump told NBC.

"A sledgehammer available to President Trump to end the war"

"This legislative package we're looking at would give President Trump the ability to impose 500% tariffs on any country that helps Russia, " Graham said, adding that it could include economies that buy Russian products such as China, India or Brazil. "That's truly a sledgehammer available to President Trump to end the war, " the senator added.

"Undoubtedly, this is exactly the kind of support that can bring peace closer and make diplomacy not empty," Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelenski said on his X account about the bill.

Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal planned to meet Monday night with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Blumenthal told CBS news that they would also discuss the thorny legal issue of unfreezing Russian assets in Europe and the U.S. for Ukraine to access them.