Europeans have spent the last year and a half urging Washington to use its financial power to impose severe sanctions on Russia.
They may soon find themselves regretting that appeal.
A draft bill making its way through the US Senate, ostensibly designed to cripple Moscow's war chest, risks handing President Donald Trump a brand-new instrument to slap punishing tariffs on allies and adversaries alike.
The legal text was originally promoted by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Blumenthal, two staunch supporters of Ukraine's fight for survival, in a bid to prod Trump into tightening the screws on the Kremlin – something that the president has consistently refused to do.
Graham's sudden death last month has given fresh impetus to the stalled project, with fellow senators seeking to honour his legacy by enshrining it into law. The text still faces an uncertain future in the House, which adjourned for its summer recess.
