© Pool Photo by Melina Mara
US lawmakers skipped a Russia sanctions vote and left the sanctions in Trump’s hands as his 8 August deadline approaches. The Hill says the Senate left Washington for its August break without advancing a sweeping sanctions bill aimed at Moscow, leaving the president to decide how to confront Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
The Hill reports that Trump warned that Putin has until 8 August to stop the war in Ukraine or face tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil. As a preview of this pressure, he imposed a 25% tariff on India, a major buyer of Russian energy. That is far below the 500% tariffs proposed in the stalled bill. Some senators admit that leaving the bill untouched puts the responsibility entirely on the president for now.
Republican senators say they expect Trump to act decisively. Republican Senator Mike Rounds said to The Hill that Trump is now disappointed in Putin. Democrats doubt that Trump will go as far as needed, though they acknowledge that his tone has grown tougher. Trump earlier described Russia’s air attacks on Ukraine as disgusting and said his team is ready to impose sanctions.
In response to threats of nuclear weapons from Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev, Trump ordered nuclear submarines to the region. Trump told reporters that his envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Russia after a trip to Israel. He stressed that he will impose sanctions but admitted he is unsure if they will change Moscow’s behavior.
The blocked bill was designed to hit Russia’s oil revenues hard by imposing tariffs on countries that keep buying Russian crude. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies argue that oil revenue is key to funding Moscow’s war. Supporters of the bill say a missed opportunity weakens the message.
Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal, coauthor of the bill with Republican Lindsey Graham, said he would see it as a success if Trump imposed even a part of the planned tariffs.
Indian oil refiners have already paused imports of Russian oil after Trump’s 25% tariff announcement.
Graham said Trump has now adopted the idea of targeting countries that buy Russian oil. He added that Trump can act either through executive action or with the help of the bill if it passes later.
US President Donald Trump promises new sanctions on Russia as the US Senate prepares a massive package, and envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Moscow for another round of talks. The US President said at a White House briefing that he will impose sanctions, even though he doubts they will make Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin change course.
Despite Trump’s efforts to “end” the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been repeatedly ignoring any calls for peace, only escalating its attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Yesterday’s Russian air attack on Kyiv killed at least 31 civilians, including three children. In the aftermath, Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Trump had been “very generous and very patient” with Putin, and called for immediate maximum pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Speaking after Russia’s deadly air assault on Kyiv, Trump said late on 31 July that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are “disgusting” and “a disgrace.” He again claimed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “is Biden’s war” and claimed the war would allegedly not have started if he had been in office when it began. He again said many people are dying on both sides and that the United States should not be involved in the fighting.
Trump confirmed that sanctions are part of his plan to pressure Moscow, even as he questioned their effect.
“Yeah, we’re going to put sanctions. I don’t know that sanctions bother him (Putin, — Ed.). They know about sanctions. I know better than anybody about sanctions and tariffs and everything else. I don’t know if that has any effect, but we’re going to do it,” he said.
Trump added that the Russo-Ukrainian war “should be stopped. It’s a disgrace.”
“This was a stupid war to get into. Should have never gotten into this war,” he said.
The President also announced that his envoy Steve Witkoff will travel again to Moscow after a stop in Israel.
“Going to Israel. And then he’s going to Russia. Believe it or not,” Trump said.
Witkoff has already been to Moscow several times, but those trips have not brought a ceasefire closer, as Russia continues to demand Ukraine’s de facto capitulation.
New York Post reports that Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Congress is ready to advance a sweeping sanctions bill against Russia if Trump decides he wants more pressure. The legislation was introduced by Lindsey Graham and has more than 80 senators signed on. Thune said in an interview that he is “hopeful” the bill will help Trump increase pressure on Putin.
Thune explained that the House and Senate are “ready to move” if the President wants harsher penalties for Russia. He said the support of the whole Congress would give the president more leverage in negotiations with Russia.
Trump, speaking earlier in the week to New York Post, expressed disappointment in Putin.
“I’m disappointed in him, I must be honest with you,” he said.
He described their earlier talks as unproductive, saying that each time “very bad things have happened” afterward.
Trump has also said earlier that if sanctions fail to produce results, he will consider tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil. According to Graham, these tariffs could target China, India and Brazil, which buy a majority of Russia’s oil.
© Saher Alghorra for The New York Times
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have stated that the bill submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy restores all guarantees of independence for these institutions.
On 22 July, Zelenskyy signed the law curtailing the independence of NABU and the SAPO. Protests in Lviv, Dnipro, and Kyiv have demanded that it be canceled. On 23 July, in response to the rallies, a Ukrainian leader assured that he would offer a new bill guaranteeing full independence of anti-corruption institutions.
“Bill No. 13533, submitted by the President of Ukraine as urgent, restores all procedural powers and guarantees of independence for NABU and SAPO,” the agencies report.
NABU and SAPO participated in drafting the text and are urging the Ukrainian Parliament to adopt the President’s initiative as soon as possible, both in the first reading and as a whole.
“This will help prevent threats to the criminal proceedings investigated by NABU and SAPO,” they emphasize.
The work of Ukraine’s independent anti-corruption bodies is a key requirement for its path to European membership. It also affects the future of Ukraine’s aid, which mostly depends on Ukraine amid US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. The bloc’s leaders have appealed to Kyiv with questions on the controversial law and urged transparency in reform.
After Zelenskyy decided to respond to the mass rallies and work on the law restoring the activities of NABU and SAPO, the EU viewed such actions positively.
Western trust under threat as Zelenskyy nears signing controversial law that crashes Ukraine’s anti-corruption system
At the same time, European Commission Spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker emphasized the need for continued efforts in this direction.
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