Politicians: Secondary and Primary Sanctions on Russia Coming

Meanwhile, both French President Emmanuel Macron and Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters in their respective capitals that President Donald Trump has agreed that the U.S. and European nations will be taking additional sanctions on Russia and imposing secondary sanctions.

As translated, Macron said, "We also decided to coordinate our sanction measures [with Trump], primary and secondary sanctions, to be more effective and to curtail Russian efficacy.

"Russian counterparts and American counterparts will speak again, and a number of key dates were put in place. We will make sure those will be upheld.

"If Russia continues to refuse concrete peace discussions, which is a second possible outcome, given the way they have been behaving the last few months, since March, we will take additional sanctions along with the U.S., to provide a clear response to their refusal to make headway. This is also what President Trump said quite clearly during our phone call."

In a follow-up question on sanctions, about what European leaders are going to do to put economic pressure on countries such as China, given they are financing the war in Russia, Macron said that China was mentioned as a target of secondary sanctions, "but ultimately, each country has to decide what they are going to do."

Macron also said that the U.S. has the best leverage to get EU member states that are continuing to buy Russian oil to stop doing so, since these countries are close to the administration.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named those countries -- Hungary and Bulgaria -- at the press conference with Macron, and said Trump is not happy they are still buying Russian oil. He said that Hungary and Bulgaria have complained to the U.S. about Ukrainian bombings of Russian oil refineries.

He praised Trump for naming these countries openly, and he said Trump said "these countries help Russian war machine, and we have to stop that."

Reuters reported that Stubb said, "Trump’s approach was very much that we must act together on sanctions policy, and now look for ways, in particular, to halt Russia’s war machine by economic means."

In a brief interview with International Trade Today at the Capitol on Sept. 4, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also said Trump had a call with Europeans earlier that day about ramping up economic pressure on Russia. He declined to talk about his Russia sanctions bill until the White House issues its summary of the call.

A White House spokesperson didn't respond to questions about the call.

There are 85 senators sponsoring Graham's bill, which requires 500% tariffs on all Russian goods 15 days after enactment, as long as Russia continues to refuse to negotiate peace or continues to seek to dismantle Ukraine. It also gives the president the power to impose 500% tariffs on countries that are importing oil, gas or uranium from Russia, but it allows him to carve out a country or a product for up to 180 days, and countries that are aiding Ukraine are exempt from the secondary tariff.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the lead Democrat on the bill, said it's time to pass it. "There is a clear, unequivocal determination to impose crushing sanctions on China, India and Brazil if they continue to buy Russian oil and gas and fuel," he told us at the Capitol. "There's no question among my Republicans colleagues that this time, this atrocity has to stop. They can't reap this blood money and, in effect, enable the slaughter of innocent people in Ukraine."

As for when Republican leadership puts the bill on the calendar, "the question is one of timing," he said. "Obviously, sanctions have been imposed on India, not nearly the 500% that's contemplated in our bill. Nothing yet on China. But there's clearly an abhorrence on the part of my Republican as well as Democratic colleagues that the situation can't continue."

The White House doesn't oppose Congress passing the bill, Blumenthal said. In a statement in July, he and Graham said the law "would truly be a sledgehammer for President Trump to end this war, and it will allow for maximum flexibility to achieve that end. The benefit of our approach is that it blends congressional authorization of tariffs and sanctions with flexibility for presidential implementation, making it rock solid legally and politically."

Blumenthal said Sept. 4 that the bill preserves the president's authority by allowing the tariff waiver for any good that he deems necessary for national security, as well as allowing him to exempt certain countries on the basis of national security.

"My point is that we need to stop Putin from mocking and playing America, simply stalling for time to kill more people in Ukraine by bombing their homes."

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, posted on X that "President Trump has let Putin cross at least six deadlines with no consequences."

"Now is the time for Congress to act and force Putin to the negotiating table by passing my bipartisan bills on Ukraine assistance and the Graham-Blumenthal sanctions legislation."

When we asked if Republican leadership has discussed bringing the bill up this month or in October, Blumenthal replied, "I'm not going to go into the details of dates or specific time, but I'm very hopeful that the Republican leadership will move forward very soon."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said Sept. 3 that the U.S. and its allies should increase sanctions on Russian energy exports in response to a new agreement to build a natural gas pipeline from Russia to China.

“The natural gas deal between Russia and China is further proof of their strategic partnership,” Risch wrote on X. Russian President Vladimir “Putin will use the deal to fund his war on Ukraine and undermine efforts to make peace. In response, I hope the U.S. and our allies can redouble efforts to sanction Russian energy exports.”