House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Sunday there is a “big appetite” to apply additional sanctions on Russia, saying these are “far overdue.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) suggested Wednesday he is getting closer to bringing a Russia sanctions bill to the floor for consideration. The legislation would likely have a sizable effect on Moscow’s economy, as it would allow the United States to impose a 500% tariff on countries such as China and India that purchase Russian energy.
Johnson said he is “anxious” to enact these additional sanctions but that Congress can’t impose them “on its own volition.” As such, the sanctions need to be “a partnership” between President Donald Trump and Congress.
“But we have to defer to the commander in chief. The president is a strong and bold leader on the world stage. He has brokered peace around the world in other conflicts in a way that no one before him has been able to do, and so we’re trusting that he can use that same force and that same approach to bring about, finally, an end to this war in Ukraine,” Johnson said on CBS News’s Face the Nation.
“Everyone in America wants that bloodshed to end, and President Trump is forcing that,” Johnson added.
Trump set conditions for the U.S. to unleash “major sanctions” on Russia on Saturday, which includes asking NATO members to stop buying oil from Russia in order to follow through on the levies. He also believes NATO placing tariffs of 50%-100% on China will help the war effort, as China has a “strong grip” on Russia.
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The war in Ukraine saw the largest group of Russian drones to date cross into Poland’s airspace last week, with Poland scrambling aircraft to shoot them down. A U.N. Security Council meeting followed on Friday.
Trump suggested Thursday this incursion “could’ve been a mistake.” However, Gen. Christopher Mahoney, the current assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said it looked “more intentional than not.”
