American Senator Lindsey Graham has put forward a radical initiative to strengthen economic pressure on the Kremlin. He proposed that President Donald Trump move to forcibly seize vessels of Russia's "shadow fleet" if Moscow refuses peace talks on Ukraine. Graham stated this in a video address, UNN writes.
Details
Graham emphasized that the US should apply to Russia an approach already tested on Venezuela – the physical interception of tankers carrying sanctioned oil. In addition, he proposes introducing "devastating" tariffs for countries that continue to finance the Russian war machine.
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If Putin says "no" this time, here's what I hope President Trump will do. Sign my bill, which has 85 co-sponsors, and impose tariffs against countries like China that buy cheap Russian oil. Recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian children. And, most importantly, seize vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil, just as is done in Venezuela.
The "85-strong" bill
This refers to a bipartisan initiative that Graham is promoting together with Democrat Richard Blumenthal. The document provides for the introduction of tariffs of up to 500% on goods from countries that buy Russian energy carriers, and the official recognition of the Russian Federation as a sponsor of terrorism.
According to the senator, the combination of military aid to Ukraine and the total economic isolation of Russia is the only "sledgehammer" capable of forcing the Kremlin to a just peace. Graham emphasized that Trump has all the necessary levers to turn Russia into a "trading island" if the aggression does not stop.