Thune hits brakes on Russia sanctions package

Politico ^ | 07/14/2025 | Doug Palmer and Jordain Carney

[MinorityRepublican]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday he would hold off on advancing a closely watched package of sanctions targeting Russia’s trading partners after President Donald Trump said he was prepared to act himself later this summer if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t move toward a peace deal with Ukraine.

“It sounds like right now the president is going to attempt to do some of this on his own,” Thune told reporters. “If at some point the president concludes that it makes sense and adds value and leverage that he needs in those negotiations to move the bill, then we’ll do it. We’ll be ready to go.”

Trump on Monday threatened to impose “secondary tariffs” of up to 100 percent on countries that still trade with Russia. The Senate legislation would authorize even steeper duties on list of nations that includes China, India and Brazil.

“We’re going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don’t have a [Russia-Ukraine peace] deal within 50 days,” Trump said during a meeting on Monday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “Secondary tariffs are very, very powerful.”

A bill crafted by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that has 85 Senate co-sponsors would authorize Trump to impose secondary tariffs of at least 500 percent on imported goods from countries such as China, Brazil and India that still trade with Russia.

It would authorize Trump to raise tariffs on remaining U.S. imports from Russia to at least 500 percent, a move that likely would have less force than secondary tariffs because of previous sanctions that have already greatly reduced trade with Moscow.

Thune suggested Trump’s threat meant the Senate would no longer need to pass the Graham-Blumenthal bill.

“We are going to try as best we can ... coordinate strategies with the White House"

[montag813]

Sounds like extortion to me.

Curious move, along with finally confirming one of Trump's appeals court nominees, after a 4+ month delay.

[Vermont Lt]

Sure…let’s wait two months. How many drones does Russia have to kill children?

[Socon-Econ]

Don’t fall for the accusation that the Russians are out to kill babies. Nothing good will come from our involvement in this war. Zelensky and his supporters are more like Biden than our founding fathers.

[House Atreides]

“ Curious move, along with finally confirming one of Trump’s appeals court nominees, after a 4+ month delay.”
*********************************************

Closer to taking SIX MONTHS to approve the first Trump judge.

[Vermont Lt]

Russia doesn’t aim to kill babies. It’s just their munitions are WW1 stupid and they land on everyone…including babies. I guess if Russia could fly jets over the battlefield then they might have a tad bit more precision.

Soon they will be digging Czar era biplanes out of mothballs to use in their “Special Operations” in Ukraine.

The FRussian Mafia is just retarded.