Senators said Putin has a few days before US sanctions are imposed
Lindsey Graham (Photo: ALEX WROBLEWSKI/EPA)

The US Senate expects a response from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin regarding peace talks within days. In the absence of such a response or if the proposal is not accepted, a bill to impose new, anti-Russian sanctions will be put to a vote, according to a joint statement by the authors of the bill, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

The co-authors of the document, which introduces new primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and entities that support Russia's aggression in Ukraine, said they were not confident that Russia would take the issue seriously.

"As Secretary Rubio told the Senate Subcommittee on Government and Foreign Operations, Russia has agreed to provide its cease-fire terms document within the next few days. Its content will largely indicate whether Russia is serious about peace. We suspect it will be much the same," Blumenthal and Graham wrote.

If the situation does not change, the bill will be brought to a vote in the Senate, where it has the support of 81 senators out of 100.

"If the situation remains the same, Russia can expect decisive action from the United States Senate. To that end, we are extremely pleased that we now have 81 co-sponsors of a bill to sanction Russia for its barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Our legislation isolates Russia – putting it on a trade island," the statement said.

The senators added that "it is becoming increasingly clear that Putin is playing games."

"The United States Senate is prepared to act if these games continue," they wrote.

According to the statement, in the event of successful negotiations, a bill on anti-Russian sanctions could be introduced if Russia "resumes efforts, including military invasion, that undermine Ukraine's sovereignty."

The legislation, in particular, introduces a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other products.