A new blow to the oligarchs of Putin: in the United States will introduce reinforced sanctions

Two influential US senators announced their intention to develop a new bipartisan bill that would expand existing sanctions against Russia and increase the US defense capability when Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to "challenge American power."

Republican Lindsay Graham and Democrat Bob Menendez said they are working on a comprehensive bill that will increase the sanctions pressure on Russia and at the same time expand the US government’s response capacity.

“We are committed to doing everything so that the Congress continues to actively participate both in confronting Russian aggression and in ensuring that the executive takes the necessary steps to protect the US and our allies,” the senators said in a joint statement.

Lawmakers announced that they would introduce a comprehensive bill in the coming days, imposing the introduction of mandatory sanctions in accordance with the Law on Countering America’s Opponents through Sanctions.

This law was passed last year in response to Russian interference in the 2016 elections of the year and other malicious acts. It provides for a whole range of new, painful sanctions against Russian interests.

According to the senators, the new bill will impose additional sanctions "to ensure maximum impact on the Kremlin’s campaign against our democracy and the rules-based international order."

“Since Vladimir Putin clearly stated his intentions to challenge American power, influence and security interests, both in the United States and abroad, the United States must clearly state that we will defend our country and, without hesitation, reject his efforts to undermine Western democracy, which are a strategic imperative for the future of Russia, ”said senators.

They expressed the hope that in the coming days, their campaign will gain momentum, and other colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, will join them.

The statement notes that the proposed bill will include tougher sanctions against the Russian energy and financial sectors, Russian oligarchs and semi-state actors, as well as Russian sovereign debt.

Lawmakers also propose sectoral sanctions against Russian cyberspace subjects, the creation of a National Center for Responding to Russian Threats, a ban on US withdrawal from NATO without Senate approval, and unspecified measures to counter Russian disinformation and hybrid threats.

The requirement to withdraw from NATO came after the statements of President Donald Trump, who questioned the effectiveness and relevance of the alliance.

The senators ’initiative also includes calling for the creation of a sanctions coordinator office within the State Department, new reporting requirements to tighten the sanctions regime provided for by the Law on Counteracting America’s Opponents through Sanctions, and helping Europe strengthen its democratic institutions to protect against Russian interference.

Senators did not provide specific deadlines for the bill.

Graham and another Republican senator, Marco Rubio, said on Sunday that the United States should immediately begin preparing new sanctions against Russia in order to prevent interference in the upcoming elections.

According to Graham, additional sanctions must be prepared before President Donald Trump will hold a second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Graham's statement came after the US leader was sharply criticized for not having shown sufficient rigidity when he posed the question of interfering in the election of 2016 at the summit last week before Putin.

“We need to work with Congress on the development of new sanctions, because Putin does not reach,” said Graham, speaking in the program “Face the Nation” on CBS. “We need new, severe sanctions that would hang over his head, and only then meet him.”

Republican Senator Rubio is demanding a vote on a bill to introduce new sanctions if American intelligence officials conclude that Russia has intervened in the American elections. Rubio co-authored the bill with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. Representatives of both parties resumed their efforts after a negative reaction to the summit of Trump and Putin.

“It seems to me that the fact that they interfered and will interfere [in the elections] in the future is not questioned,” said Rubio, speaking on CNN.

The bill of Rubio and Chris Van Hollen is directed against the Russian financial, energy, defense and other sectors and makes the introduction of sanctions more automatic.

According to him, a month after the vote, the US National Intelligence Director will have to inform whether foreign powers have intervened in the course of the elections, and if such interference is detected, then severe sanctions will be imposed within ten days.