The United States is undertaking an unprecedented strategy for economic isolation of Russia, which could change the global trade situation. The legislative initiative, launched by Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, aims to totally paralyze Russian foreign economic flows through extremely aggressive trade mechanisms.
The planned bill provides for imposing extremely high tariffs – up to 500% on imported goods from the Russian Federation and countries that continue their trade relations with it. The strategic target are three key countries: China, India, and Brazil, which currently consume about 80% of Russian oil exports.
President Donald Trump initially set a 50-day ultimatum for negotiations, which was subsequently drastically reduced to 10-12 days with a deadline of August 8. In official statements, the American head of state emphasized his deep disappointment with the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin reacted restrainedly, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating that the "special military operation continues" and that Russia is accustomed to functioning under international sanctions regimes. Former President Dmitry Medvedev described the American approach as a "crude diplomatic game with ultimatums", warning that any subsequent sanction could be seen as a step towards direct military conflict.
The legislative initiative already has solid support from 85 senators, which practically guarantees its adoption. The document provides exceptional operational freedom to the president in determining specific customs rates and trade restrictions.