Washington, Sept. 14 -- Stressing that "the free world must act, and America must lead," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Saturday said he and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick will move forward with legislation to authorise US President Donald Trump to impose major tariffs on countries supporting Russia's war in Ukraine.

In a joint statement released on social media, Graham said he was "very pleased" with Trump's strong call for coordinated economic action. He argued that China was "propping up Putin's war machine" by purchasing discounted Russian oil and gas, and therefore must face punitive tariffs from the United States and its NATO allies.

The two lawmakers said they have been working for months on a bill that would allow Trump to ...