US sanctions bill against Russia postponed because "Iran is in the spotlight" – senators
Photo: Lindsey Graham/EPA

The US Senate is postponing consideration of a new bill on sanctions against Russia and its trading partners until at least July, Senators Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, and John Thune said, Semafor reports.

According to the senators, they are working on an updated version of the bill that would allow for the introduction of secondary sanctions against countries that trade with Russia.

At the same time, it provides exceptions for Ukraine's allies who support it in the war.

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However, due to the worsening situation in the Middle East and the priority of tax reform promoted by Donald Trump, consideration of the bill in June is unlikely.

Graham said the Senate "will have to wait a little while" with sanctions against Russia, without giving a specific timeframe.

"Now the situation with Iran is changing... this does not mean that I have forgotten about Russia or Ukraine. Not at all. Iran is in the spotlight," Graham said about the timing of the adoption of the law on sanctions against Russia.

According to senators, the White House has not yet given the "green light" for a vote on the bill. Republicans recognize that sanctions are a more unifying issue for the party than, for example, military aid to Ukraine.

Democratic Senator Blumenthal also believes that the main obstacle to sanctions is not the content of the bill, but the fact that there are too many other issues on the political agenda right now.

The bill's authors believe that sanctions could give Trump an additional tool to pressure Putin. According to them, Russia is not showing readiness for peace, so the US should "change its approach."

  • On June 17, it was reported that G7 leaders failed to convince Trump to toughen his stance on Russia.
  • On the same day, Trump said that the United States was not imposing sanctions against Russia because it was allegedly waiting for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.