Heads of US Congress Committees Agree on Bill Banning Energy Imports from Russia

Reuters reported citing a source in Congress, a vote on the initiative in the House of Representatives can take place as early as Tuesday

© AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

WASHINGTON, March 7. /TASS/. The heads of the committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the US Congress reached an agreement on a bill to ban energy imports from Russia and suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus.

"We have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus," heads of House Ways and Means Committee Senate Finance Committee said in a statement released on Monday.

Reuters reported citing a source in Congress, a vote on the initiative in the House of Representatives can take place as early as Tuesday.

According to the statement, the bill in particular provides the US President with authority to further increase tariffs on products of Russia and Belarus. It will also require the U.S. Trade Representative to use the voice and influence of the United States to seek suspension of Russia’s participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and halt Belarus’ WTO accession. The initiative also provides the US President with authority to restore normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus subject to certain conditions and congressional disapproval.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

After that the US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states announced that they would impose sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals.