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Russia Sanctions Bill Trump Has Resisted to Soon Get Senate Vote

(Bloomberg) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune is ready to bring to a vote legislation imposing sanctions on countries that trade with Russia, a move to put economic pressure on Vladimir Putin even after President Donald Trump announced plans to soon meet the Russian leader.

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“I don’t want to commit to a hard deadline, but it will be soon,” Thune said Thursday, adding that he would schedule a vote in the “next 30 days.”

The remarks came just hours after Trump said he made “great progress” with Putin to end war in Ukraine.

The bill would give Trump the authority to impose tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that buy Russian energy products and are not actively supporting Ukraine. This specifically targets major consumers of Russian energy, such as China and India. Thune said the bill will undergo some revisions before a vote.

The latest version of the legislation gives Trump the power to set and adjust the levies as he pleases, a person familiar with the bill said. Trump could also choose to allow for exemptions.

It’s not yet clear if the White House will support a vote on the bill, which has languished in the Senate for months despite having the support of at least 85 senators. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the prospects for the legislation.

Trump spoke with Putin over the phone earlier Thursday, following which the US president said the two leaders would hold a meeting in Budapest at a yet-to-be-determined date. The US and Russia will also hold high-level staff talks next week before the leaders summit.

Trump boasted during last year’s campaign he could end Russia’s invasion on his first day back in the White House. Despite multiple conversations with Putin — including a summit in Alaska in August — that goal has proved elusive.

“I’ve always felt we need strong sanctions against Russia,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday.

Trump has been reluctant to green light a vote but he has become increasingly frustrated with Putin over the war in Ukraine and confirmed this week he’s sending more defensive weapons to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government, sweeping aside an earlier pause by the Pentagon.

Trump is slated to meet Zelenskiy at the White House on Friday.

The House’s own version of the bill was introduced earlier this year and mirrors the Senate’s version. In September, Republican Representative Mike Turner urged Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule a vote.

But a House vote could still be a way off. Johnson has kept House lawmakers home during the US government shutdown and has said he won’t bring them back until the Senate resolves the funding stalemate.

(Updates with Trump-Putin meeting plans, additional Thune remarks.)