GOP Crafting Bill to Sanction Countries That Trade With Russia: Trump

Earlier this year, Trump introduced steep penalties on India, increasing import tariffs to 50 percent, linking the increase to the purchasing of Russian energy.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland en route to West Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 31, 2020. Yuri Gripas/Reuters

President Donald Trump on Nov. 16 said that Republicans are working on legislation to impose sanctions on countries doing business with Russia.

When asked whether it was time for Congress to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump told reporters: “I hear they’re doing that, and that’s OK with me. The Republicans are putting in legislation—very tough, it’s sanctioning—on any country doing business with Russia.”

Trump said that Iran could be added to that list.

“Any country that does business with Russia will be very severely sanctioned,” he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Nov. 17 that such a move would go over poorly with Moscow.

“We'll see how this bill progresses and what details are involved,” Peskov said. “We would, of course, take a very negative view of that.”

A bipartisan group of senators is pushing for strong measures to force Putin to the negotiating table and end the war with Ukraine. A bill sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), submitted in April, proposes high tariffs on Russia and its trading partners.

According to the summary of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, the United States could impose at least a 500 percent tariff on goods and services imported from Russia and at least 500 percent tariffs on goods and services imported from countries “that knowingly engage in the exchange of Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products.”

Earlier Sanctions

The administration has already imposed secondary tariffs as deterrents to trade with Russia. On Aug. 6, Trump introduced steep penalties on India, doubling import tariffs on the South Asian country to 50 percent, linking the increase to the purchase of Russian oil.

On Oct. 22, the Trump administration announced tougher sanctions on Moscow, including on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, in an effort to affect the country’s ability to fund the war with Ukraine.

The move could expose other buyers—including China, India, and buyers in Europe—to secondary sanctions.

The following day, the European Union agreed on sanctions against Russia, including a ban on imports of liquefied natural gas.

After the U.S. sanctions were announced, Putin indicated that Russia would not bow to such pressure.

The Russian president told reporters that U.S. and Western sanctions were an “unfriendly” act and “will have certain consequences, but they will not significantly affect [Russia’s] economic well-being.”

“This is, of course, an attempt to put pressure on Russia,” Putin said. “But no self-respecting country and no self-respecting people ever decides anything under pressure.”

Trump and Putin were expected to meet in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine, but those plans were canceled on Oct. 21.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Oct. 23 that a future meeting between Trump and Putin was “not completely off the table.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Nov. 9 that he remains in contact by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that both he and Rubio “are prepared to hold in-person meetings whenever necessary.”

Relief for Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has a good relationship with Trump, was concerned over secondary sanctions on the purchase of Russian oil and gas, as the landlocked eastern European country is dependent on Russian pipelines for its energy supply.

President Donald Trump greets Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the Oval Office on May 13, 2019. Carlos Barria/Reuters

On Oct. 31, the Hungarian prime minister said he would seek exemptions to U.S. sanctions on Russian oil during his trip to meet with Trump the following week.

During a White House meeting with Orban on Nov. 7, Trump granted Hungary exemptions from sanctions, specifically oil from the Druzhba pipeline and gas transported via the TurkStream pipeline. The sanctions waiver was granted for one year.

As part of the discussions, Hungary agreed to buy U.S. liquefied natural gas and will work with the United States on nuclear energy.

Reuters contributed to this report.