The United States will not prepare a new round of sanctions against Russia in the near future.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations has instead decided to focus on a measure to counter
Russian influence in Eastern Europe.
“We're going to do an Iran sanctions
bill...We're also working together on a bill to push back against
Russia in Europe and what they're doing,” Republican Senator Bob
Corker, the committee's chairman, told the Politico news site. “Those are the two courses of action that we're taking.”
The new measure against Russia will
likely draw from a previous bill proposed by ranking Democrat Senator
Ben Cardin in January. That bill included a new round of sanctions
intended as retaliation for Russia's alleged intervention in the U.S. presidential election.
The decision not to prepare a new raft
of sanctions is likely tied to receding fears that U.S. President
Donald Trump would take a pro-Moscow stance.
“I think there's a general
understanding that there isn't going to be an attempt by this
administration, which people feared at one time, including me, to
undo sanctions,” Corker said on Monday.
The Senator suggested that the Senate
Intelligence Committee should complete its investigation into
Russia's involvement in the election before more sanctions were
approved.
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