US President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed a bill that aims to impose sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil exports, including China and India. According to Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, Trump's backing for the bill signifies a "greenlight" for lawmakers to move forward with this bipartisan legislation.
The proposed Sanctioning Russia Act, drafted by Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, would grant Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on imports from countries that engage in business with Russia's energy sector. The goal is to curb Russian oil sales to these nations, thereby crippling Putin's war machine.
Despite US and European sanctions imposed on Russia's energy sector following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, China and India continue to be major buyers of Russian crude oil. In November alone, China bought nearly half of Russia's exports, while India took around 38 percent.
Critics, however, are questioning the effectiveness of this approach, citing concerns that Russia might disregard the threat, particularly in light of ongoing trade negotiations with China. Catherine Wolfram, a former US Treasury official, described the use of tariffs as an "untested tool" and warned that the cost to the US could be substantial.
As tensions between Moscow and Kyiv remain high, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase pressure on Russia. For the first time, the administration has publicly backed European proposals for binding security guarantees for Ukraine, including post-war truce monitoring and a European-led multinational force.
The proposed Sanctioning Russia Act, drafted by Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, would grant Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on imports from countries that engage in business with Russia's energy sector. The goal is to curb Russian oil sales to these nations, thereby crippling Putin's war machine.
Despite US and European sanctions imposed on Russia's energy sector following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, China and India continue to be major buyers of Russian crude oil. In November alone, China bought nearly half of Russia's exports, while India took around 38 percent.
Critics, however, are questioning the effectiveness of this approach, citing concerns that Russia might disregard the threat, particularly in light of ongoing trade negotiations with China. Catherine Wolfram, a former US Treasury official, described the use of tariffs as an "untested tool" and warned that the cost to the US could be substantial.
As tensions between Moscow and Kyiv remain high, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase pressure on Russia. For the first time, the administration has publicly backed European proposals for binding security guarantees for Ukraine, including post-war truce monitoring and a European-led multinational force.
- i mean, it's like he's throwing down the gauntlet to china and india. 500% tariffs? that's a big ask, but i guess if it'll hurt russia's economy, it's worth a shot 
anyway, can't blame him for trying to take the heat off his own administration's Ukraine response... but still, this sanctions thingy is super complicated 
and who knows how china will react - they're already dealing with their own trade issues with us... 
. But honestly, I'm not sure if it's gonna work... I mean, China and India are still buying up all that Russian oil like there's no tomorrow 
. And what if Russia just ignores the threat? 
. And Catherine Wolfram is totally right - using tariffs as a tool is kinda untested, you know? 
It feels like there's a better way to handle this whole situation. 
. This sanctions thingy is like playing with fire, you know? One minute you're trying to hurt Russia's economy, next thing you know everyone's getting hurt... especially China and India who are just trying to survive over there 
. It's like we're adding more fuel to the fire without even thinking about how it'll affect others. I'm worried about the cost to the US too... Catherine Wolfram makes a point, tariffs aren't exactly an easy fix 
. It's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and want to impose harsh sanctions on countries that are supporting Russia. But, as Catherine Wolfram said, using tariffs as an "untested tool" can have unintended consequences 
.
. We need to be careful not to act impulsively and instead take the time to weigh all the pros and cons 
. Let's make sure we're making informed decisions that benefit everyone involved in this situation 
Putin's energy sector is about to get a major reset 
️!
BUT Catherine Wolfram is like "Hold up, folks, tariffs ain't no joke" 
. And what about our own oil prices going up to crazy levels? Not to mention the trade war with China... it's already causing a lot of problems in the US 
it's just gonna lead to more complications than solutions, you feel? like china and india are already buying up all that russian oil and now we're trying to stop 'em with tariffs of 500%?! that's just gonna make their economies go haywire 
.
. I mean, if Putin's just gonna ignore us anyway, what's another 500% tariff gonna do? Plus, it's gonna hurt the US more than Russia 
... Catherine Wolfram's warnin' about the cost to us, but what about the cost to our economy and relationships with other countries? We're playin' with fire here, and I'm not sure if we're prepared for the consequences 
. And now they're talking about slapping tariffs on them... good luck with that 
So it looks like Putin's energy machine is about to get a serious voltage drop - 500% tariffs, dude! 
The US is basically trying to hold China and India hostage over Russian oil exports... 500% tariffs? That's like, insane! 
I mean, I get that Putin needs to be stopped and all, but come on... this isn't exactly subtle diplomacy. 
It's all so... complicated! 