Kremlin slams US bill to sanction countries doing business with Russia
Trump publicly backed the proposal and suggested adding Iran to the list of penalized countries
Russia has expressed strong opposition to a US congressional bill that would sanction countries maintaining economic ties with Moscow, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying on 17 November that its approval would be viewed “extremely negatively.”
Peskov said Russia is examining the proposal’s progress and will assess its specific provisions once they are finalized.
He noted that US President Donald Trump publicly backed the bill when asked by reporters, confirming that Trump said “yes” when questioned about his support.
According to Peskov, the initiative targets countries cooperating with Russia and would impose broad penalties.
In a press gaggle on 16 November, Trump said Republicans are putting forward legislation that would “very severely” sanction any country doing business with Russia. He said he supported the effort and indicated lawmakers were already working on the proposal.
Trump added that he has suggested expanding the bill to include Iran. “They may add Iran to that, as you know I suggested it,” he told reporters.
The comments came during an informal exchange with journalists in Florida, where Trump took questions on foreign policy and congressional initiatives.
The bill itself was introduced in early April by a bipartisan group of senators. It calls for sweeping secondary sanctions on Russia’s trade partners and includes a proposal for 500 percent import duties on US goods coming from countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, or other commodities.
Peskov said Moscow is closely watching how the bill advances, stressing that Russia considers the measure harmful and will respond once the full details are known.
Amid ongoing tensions in US–Russia relations, Moscow has expressed interest in creating the conditions for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump, with Peskov saying the summit can only take place after what he described as thorough, meticulous preparation.
Peskov told reporters that Moscow hopes the required conditions will be in place “sooner rather than later,” but added that it remains difficult to predict when that will happen. He said the meeting will proceed once preparations are complete and the circumstances are right.
His comments followed remarks by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who claimed Moscow had “missed an opportunity” for a Putin–Trump encounter in Budapest.
The Budapest meeting Stubb referenced was the same summit Trump canceled in October, saying it would be a “waste of time” after Moscow rejected his proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.