US House backs removal of 'most-favored' trade status for Russia, Belarus
The US House of Representatives has backed legislation to remove "most favored nation" trade status for Russia and Belarus over Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
The Democratic-controlled House voted 424-8 in favor of removing Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status, the latest effort in Congress to put economic pressure on the two countries.
The move will allow the administration of President Joe Biden to impose higher tariffs on Russian and Belarusian imports than the current levels that the US has promised to all World Trade Organization member countries.
The bill also sets up strict guidelines for when the president can restore normal trade ties with Russia and Belarus based on the state of the Ukraine conflict.
To become law, the measure must also pass the Senate.
Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it would move through the Senate quickly, after approval by the House.
“The Congress today will take another step in lockstep with many of our allies, as is the Biden administration, to tighten our stranglehold on the Russian economy,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a speech on the House floor Thursday. She called the legislation “an intense action to further isolate Russia and decimate its economy.”
The House vote took place a day after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy gave a virtual address to Congress, appealing for more support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region on February 24 to “defend people” subjected to "genocide" there against the government forces, stressing that Moscow has “no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.”
In response to Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Washington banned Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from entering the United States. The US and its European allies also adopted sanctions that have largely cut Russia off financially from the rest of the world.
On Tuesday, the US State Department announced more sanctions on Russia. It published a list of 11 individuals it said operated in the defense sector of the Russian Federation, including Viktor Zolotov, the commander-in-chief of Russia’s National Guard, and Alexander Mikheev, the director-general of Rosoboronexport, a state-controlled company trading in weapons.
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