House of Representatives
House of RepresentativesiStock

The House of Representatives voted near unanimously on Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, Fox Business reported.

The 424–8 vote by the House came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday addressed Congress, urging it to enact tougher measures against Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Senate will next take up the measure, which if passed and signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden would allow for a major increase in tariffs on Russian products , such as aluminum, steel and plywood.

The U.S. has already ended around 60 percent of Russian imports with its bans on Russian oil and gas, along with alcohol, diamonds and seafood.

In his address to Congress, Zelenskyy said: "I’m asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine.”

The House measure was sponsored by Reps. Richard Neal (D-MA) and Kevin Brady (R-TX), who issued a joint statement that Zelenskyy’s remarks “only strengthened our resolve to further isolate and weaken" Russia.

"We must do all we can to hold Putin accountable for senselessly attacking the Ukrainian people and undermining global stability," their statement said. "The suspension of normal trade relations is an essential part of our effort to restore peace, save lives and defend democracy."