Thune says “time has come” for Senate vote on Russia sanctions bill

Washington — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he plans to move ahead with a bill to impose sanctions on Russia that has overwhelming bipartisan support, saying the “time has come.” 

“I think we need to move,” the South Dakota Republican said at the Capitol, shortly after President Trump shared that he was on a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Mr. Trump said after the call that he and Putin agreed to meet in Budapest, Hungary, in the near future. The call with Putin came a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit the White House. 

It was not immediately clear when the Senate might take up the sanctions bill. The House remains out of session during the ongoing government shutdown.

Senators have been pushing for months for a vote on the legislation that would impose fresh economic sanctions to dial up the pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine. It gained momentum in late May and early June as Mr. Trump appeared increasingly frustrated with Putin after Russia escalated attacks against Ukraine amid stalled peace negotiations. 

But the U.S. involvement in the war between Israel and Iran put the measure on the backburner in late June as it appeared to be nearing a vote. The White House also wanted changes to the measure to give the president more flexibility in imposing the sanctions.

The sanctions bill was put on hold again when Mr. Trump threatened on July 14 to impose tariffs on countries that do business with Russia if it did not agree to a ceasefire. 

It received renewed interest in September when Russian drones entered Poland’s airspace during an attack on Ukraine, weeks after Mr. Trump met with Putin in Alaska. But lawmakers held off on a vote because it had not received the green light from Mr. Trump, which lawmakers say they were waiting for to move ahead. 

The bill was introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in April and has the support of 84 other senators, all but guaranteeing its passage in the Senate. A companion bill in the House has the support of more than 100 members. 

Thune said Thursday he has met with Graham about the bill and lawmakers have been trying to address technical issues, including how the bill would be implemented — details that had concerned the White House. 

“I think the time is right,” Thune said. “I’m hoping we can get it scheduled.” 

The measure includes a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil, gas and uranium. It was modified to allow the president to waive the sanctions for national security reasons. 

It’s unclear if additional changes have been agreed to. 

“It’s not unbridled or unconstrained authority simply to waive the sanctions,” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a cosponsor of the bill, said earlier this year. Blumenthal described the sanctions as “scorching” and “bone-crushing.” 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has also backed sanctions, saying that Putin has been unwilling to talk seriously about ending its war. 

“I think we have to send him a message,” Johnson said this summer.