A bill to impose new US sanctions on Russia has been postponed in the US Congress, said Senate Republican leader John Thune.
“The sanctions bill is a tool in the president's arsenal that he can use against the Russians to force them to sit down at the negotiating table. At least for now, we intend to press the pause button“, he said.
In early April, Senator Lindsey Graham proposed a bill that would impose restrictions on Moscow under the pretext of its alleged refusal to negotiate an agreement in Ukraine or a possible violation of a future agreement. This would impose a 500% tariff on imports from countries purchasing energy resources and uranium from Russia.
According to Bloomberg, senators are not ready to pass this bill without the president's approval. Trump, however, has said that passage of the bill will depend entirely on his own decision. According to Politico sources in the White House and Congress, Trump is willing to support the bill, provided he personally has the authority to lift the sanctions.