Ukrainian President's Representative on Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk said there is a possibility the late Senator Lindsey Graham's bill could be passed by the U.S. Congress next week, though it is difficult to assess the chances of that happening at this time.
"We'll see how it goes. Is there a scenario in which this bill could be passed by the House next week? Yes. But it's objectively difficult to say at this point whether the chances of that are high. This is a very complex internal congressional process," Vlasiuk said during a briefing at Kyiv Sanctions Forum on Thursday.
According to him, during his trip to Washington, he held about 20 meetings with members of Congress.
"The good news is that everyone supports Ukraine. The bad news is that there are different ways this support manifests, and they don't always mean a willingness to support this bill right now," Vlasiuk said.
He added that certain provisions of the bill are causing concern among members of Congress, who at the same time are seeking to refine the document so that it would exert even stronger sanctions and tariff pressure on Russia.
"On the other hand, our position is simpler and more straightforward. We are the Ukrainian people, who need the support of the American people, and we believe that it is the U.S. Congress that can provide this support," he said.
"Therefore, of course, we want to see it [the bill] passed now, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized this. And, in principle, that was my main message when I addressed the members of Congress," he said.
