US doesn’t rule out imposing secondary sanctions on Russia’s trade partners by Oct. 18

TASS

WASHINGTON, October 4. /TASS/. The US administration doesn’t rule out that a decision to impose secondary sanctions on Russia’s trade partners would be made by October 18, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with CBS News.

When asked whether President Trump is going to put tariffs on Russia’s trade partners by October 18 in accordance with the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act he signed on September 18, he said, "Look, he leaves every decision till the end. He'll evaluate the trade-offs." In his words, the US administration has "to look at every leverage" to settle the Ukrainian crisis.

However, he refrained from giving a direct answer to the question if the United States is going to impose tariffs on Russia’s trade partners by October 18 and whether he would insist in that. "He [Trump] is looking to how to end that conflict and how to lower prices for Americans every day," Wright said.

On September 18, Trump signed into law legislation passed by the US Congress to tighten sanctions on Russia. The legislation was principally authored by US Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11. It provides for sanctions against Russia's senior political and military leadership and state-owned companies, as well as secondary restrictions against Russia's trading partners. Under the legislation, the United States may impose 100% tariffs on countries that are major purchasers of Russian oil and gas. It also provides for tougher sanctions on Iran.

Fonte: TASS