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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has signaled support for a bipartisan Senate bill that would impose heavy financial penalties on purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, according to lawmakers and a Ukrainian official cited by CBS News. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the White House has approved the latest draft, which seeks to increase economic pressure on Moscow in an effort to help bring Russia’s four-year war on Ukraine to an end. The proposed legislation would allow the United States to levy high tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian energy, including major importers India and China, though it is not yet clear how soon any tariffs would take effect after being signed into law. White House spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported decision. KYIV — A Ukrainian official told CBS News that Senator Graham informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday that the bill has the support of the Trump White House, and Zelenskyy later said in a post on X that Graham briefed him on the work underway in Congress. Both Graham and Blumenthal said Ukraine is turning the tide on the battlefield and argued that increased sanctions are needed to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. Blumenthal said he expects Democratic backing for the measure and noted that a recent decline in oil prices following a cooling of tensions with Iran makes the tariffs more politically feasible. He and Graham, along with Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said they plan to roll out the legislation soon. They hailed the move as a major step for Ukraine, alongside Zelenskyy’s success at the NATO summit in securing a license to produce Patriot interceptors and Trump’s approval of U.S. purchases of Ukrainian-made drones.

By Lauren Mitchell | JQJO News