US President Donald Trump said yesterday (Sunday) that Republican lawmakers are drafting a bill under which sanctions would be imposed on any country that deals with Russia, adding that the measure may also include Iran.

“As you know, I proposed it, so any country that does business with Russia will be subject to very heavy sanctions,” the US president told reporters. “They may add Iran to that,” he added.

The bill would allow Trump to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on imports from countries that buy Russian energy products and do not actively support Ukraine. This specifically targets major consumers of Russian energy, such as China and India.

Democrats and some Republicans in Congress have pushed for legislation that would punish Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump has been reluctant to support it as he tried to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin into peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Putin shows no sign of easing up on his military campaign after nearly four years of war in Ukraine, with Trump failing to persuade Putin even after hosting the Russian leader at a summit in Alaska.

As Ukraine increasingly strikes Russian oil targets, Russia has stepped up its air strikes in Ukraine and is pushing to seize the Pokrovsk rail hub.