The House of Representatives on Thursday voted 424-8 to suspend normalized trade relations with Russia, another step forward in the ongoing effort to inflict economic damage on Vladimir Putin and his regime for the unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
Lawmakers also voted to strip Russian ally Belarus of its “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) status. If the legislation is approved as expected by the Senate, Russia and Belarus will face additional trade barriers and higher tariff rates for any products they import to the United States. Of course, many Russian-made products are now banned from the U.S. altogether, from oil to vodka to seafood to diamonds.
