Blumenthal expects 'sledgehammer' Russia sanctions bill to clear House
Senator Blumenthal says a sweeping Russia sanctions bill, backed by Republicans, could pass the House next month and hit Moscow's war funding.
A senior US senator pushing sweeping sanctions against Russia said on Wednesday he expects the measure to clear the House of Representatives next month, describing it as a "sledgehammer" against Moscow's war machine.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, made the remarks during a visit to Kyiv, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other senior Ukrainian officials. The bill already passed an initial Senate vote last month with comfortable Republican support, and Blumenthal said that backing extends to the House.
"Putin understands only force," Blumenthal told reporters. "And the Russia sanctions bill is a sledgehammer that can have the kind of force Putin understands."
The legislation would sanction top Russian officials and grant President Donald Trump authority to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the largest buyers of Russian oil and gas, including China and India, to cut revenue flowing to Moscow.
While Democrats broadly support the sanctions, some have voiced concerns that the tariff provisions could give Trump excessive leeway to target US allies. Blumenthal said the bill includes exemptions that would shield European allies from such tariffs, addressing those worries.
Blumenthal said he asked Zelenskiy to lobby House members to support the bill. The Ukrainian president had previously spoken with several senators in Washington last month, on the day of the funeral of the bill's co-author, the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Blumenthal said Zelenskiy "heartily and readily agreed" to his request. Ukraine's presidency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.