WASHINGTON: A delegation of US senators was returning Wednesday from a trip to Ukraine, hoping to spur action in Congress for a series of sanctions meant to economically cripple Moscow and pressure President Vladimir Putin to make key concessions in peace talks.<\/p>\n
It was the first time US senators have visited Odesa, Ukraine\u2019s third-most populous city and an economically crucial Black Sea port that has been particularly targeted by Russia, since the war began nearly four years ago. Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Coons, Richard Blumenthal and Sheldon Whitehouse made the trip. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis had planned to join but was unable to for personal reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things we heard wherever we stopped today was that the people of Ukraine want a peace deal, but they want a peace deal that preserves their sovereignty, that recognizes the importance of the integrity of Ukraine,\u201d Shaheen said on a phone call with reporters.<\/p>\n
The visit and the push for Congress to take up sanctions on Russia come at a crucial moment in the conflict. Delegations for the two sides were also meeting in Switzerland for two days of US-brokered talks, but neither side appeared ready to budge on key issues like territory and future security guarantees. The sanctions, senators hoped, could prod Putin toward settling for peace, as the US has set a June deadline for settlement.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiterally nobody believes that Russia is acting in good faith in the negotiations with our government and with the Ukrainians,\u201d Whitehouse said. \u201cAnd so pressure becomes the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, legislation to impose tough sanctions on Russia has been on hold in Congress for months.<\/p>\n
Senators have put forward a range of sanction measures, including one sweeping bill that would allows the Trump administration to impose tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russia\u2019s oil, gas, uranium and other exports, which are crucial to financing Russia\u2019s military. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also advanced a series of more-targeted bills that would sanction China\u2019s efforts to support Russia\u2019s military, commandeer frozen Russian assets and go after what\u2019s known as Moscow\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d of oil tankers being used to circumvent sanctions already in place.<\/p>\n
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has co-sponsored the Senate\u2019s sweeping sanctions and tariff legislation, also released a statement during the Munich Security Conference this weekend saying that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had committed to bringing up the sanctions bill once it clearly has the 60 votes needed to move through the Senate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis legislation will be a game changer,\u201d Graham said. \u201cPresident Trump has embraced it. It is time to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blumenthal, who co-sponsored that bill alongside Graham, also said there is bipartisan support for the legislation, which he called a \u201cvery tough sledgehammer of sanctions and tariffs,\u201d but he also noted that \u201cwe need to work out some of the remaining details.\u201d Democrats, and a handful of Republicans, have been opposed to President Donald Trump\u2019s campaign to impose tariffs around the world in an effort to strike trade deals and spur more manufacturing in the US<\/p>\n
In the House, Democrats are opposed to the tariff provisions of that bill. Instead, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, has proposed separate legislation that makes it more difficult for Trump to waive sanctions, but does away with the tariff provisions.<\/p>\n
A separate bill, led by the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, would bolster US military support for Ukraine by $8 billion. Democrats currently need one more Republican to support an effort to force a vote on that bill.<\/p>\n
Once they return to the US, the senators said they would detail how US businesses based in Ukraine have been attacked by Russia. The Democrats are also hoping to build pressure on Trump to send more US weapons to Ukraine. \u201cPutin understands weapons, not words,\u201d Blumenthal said.<\/p>\n
Still, the lawmakers will soon return to a Washington where the Trump administration is ambivalent about its long-term commitments to securing peace in Ukraine, as well as Europe. For now, at least, they were buoyed by the conversations from their European counterparts and Republican colleagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe and the Republican senators who were with us in Munich spoke with one voice about our determination to continue to support Ukraine,\u201d Coons said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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