Three Democratic senators have announced the start of an investigation into the more than five-month pause by the administration of US President Donald Trump in imposing new sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine. This is reported by UNN with reference to The Hill.
Instead of taking readily available measures to pressure the aggressor, President Trump is doing nothing, and we will investigate this lost opportunity to bring an end to this war.
Since the beginning of President Trump's second term in January, the US has not imposed any new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine - in some cases, even weakening existing restrictions.
Under former President Biden, Washington imposed over 6,200 sanctions against Moscow-linked entities, targeting companies, trade, and financial transactions that fuel its war machine. According to a New York Times analysis, this averages over 170 new sanctions per month.
The lack of new sanctions, lawmakers write, allows Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to continue his attack on Ukraine, even though Trump has repeatedly stated that he would quickly end the war.
Americans should ask why a president who says he wants to end a major war instead allows the aggressor to act with impunity.
"In addition to halting crucial aid to Ukraine, President Trump has blocked the regular updating of our sanctions and export controls for over five months – allowing an increasing number of violators in China and around the world to continue supplying the Russian war machine," the statement reads.
It is noted that the failure to use existing tools "encourages Putin to continue the war," the senators add.
The senators called on the Trump administration to enforce existing sanctions against Moscow, including resuming the regular listing of entities currently supporting Russia's defense industry.
They also called on the US to join European partners in strengthening sanctions to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
"The only path to a just and lasting peace is to demonstrate resolve alongside our G7 partners and show Putin that the costs will only increase as long as he continues his brutal assault on innocent Ukrainians," the statement reads.
Recall
US President Donald Trump will support new sanctions against Russia, which include tariffs for countries that buy goods from Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham discussed this issue with Trump, noting that everything is going well for the bill to be signed.
On July 1, US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions against Syria, as well as a number of Russian banks, institutions, and individuals, including former FIDE head Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Among the companies from which restrictions have been lifted is Rosoboronexport, the sole state intermediary for arms exports in Russia.