The U.S. Senate is pushing for a sanctions bill against Russia that would impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that import Russian energy.

The possibility of the bill passing is drawing attention as President Donald Trump has expressed his support.

Foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg and Reuters, reported that the U.S. Senate unveiled an amended version of the Russia sanctions bill on July 14 (local time), which had been championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

The amendment grants the president the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five countries that import the most crude oil and natural gas from Russia.

The original bill, introduced on a bipartisan basis early last year by Republican Senator Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, would have allowed for tariffs of up to 500% on all countries importing Russian energy.

The amendment lowers the tariff rate and limits the scope to the top importing nations.

It also allows the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to determine the final tariff rates and grants the president the discretion to waive sanctions if deemed in the national interest of the United States.

According to Reuters, the countries that import the most crude oil from Russia are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan.

The top importers of natural gas are narrowed down to China, France, Japan, Hungary, and Belgium.

However, as the bill allows for exemptions for countries where Russian natural gas accounts for less than 15% of imports and that are making substantial efforts to reduce those imports, it appears that Japan, France, Hungary, and Belgium could be excluded from the sanctions.

In effect, the measure is aimed at China and India.

The U.S. Senate believes that if this bill is passed, it could increase the level of economic pressure on Russia and help bring an end to the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for over four years.

However, Bloomberg pointed out that if the imposition of tariffs becomes a reality, it could reignite trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

The U.S. and China had been in conflict due to high tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, but they entered a trade truce following a summit held in Busan last year.

China has been using export controls on critical minerals, such as rare earths, as a bargaining chip, and trade issues are expected to be discussed during the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this coming September.

The passage of the bill does not mean that tariffs will be imposed immediately.

As it grants the president the authority to impose tariffs and provides broad discretion, the actual implementation and the level of tariffs will depend on President Trump's judgment.

Foreign media report that while the schedule for a plenary vote has not yet been set, the possibility of the bill passing is higher than ever.

This is because calls for the bill to be brought to the floor have increased in the Senate following Senator Graham's passing, and President Trump has also expressed his support.

President Trump told the press on this day, "This is to honor Lindsey, and it is what he cared about most and wanted more than anything."

In response, the Chinese government expressed strong dissatisfaction, calling it an illegal and unilateral sanction.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular briefing today regarding the U.S. push for the sanctions bill, "We firmly oppose illegal and unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and have not been authorized by the UN Security Council."

He further criticized the move, stating, "We will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and people," and added, "Applying double standards and resorting to coercion will ultimately backfire."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)