The Senate will wait until after President Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin, Republican leader John Thune has said
US lawmakers have postponed any further debate on new penalties targeting Moscow until after President Donald Trump meets with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, Republican leader John Thune announced on Monday.
The two presidents agreed during a phone call last week to meet in Hungary at an unspecified date to discuss advancing a resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Following the conversation, Trump said now is not the best time to impose new sanctions against Russia.
”At the moment we’re kind of hitting the pause button [on the bill],” Thune confirmed to reporters, as quoted by Bloomberg.
The legislation would allow Trump to impose tariffs of up to 500% on imports from nations that continue to buy Russian energy – a measure aimed at major consumers such as China and India – along with other economic restrictions.
The bill has stalled in the Senate since its introduction in April, despite support from at least 85 of the 100 senators. Thune said last week that a vote could take place within 30 days, although according to Bloomberg, Trump has so far resisted allowing it to move forward.
While the EU has tightened punitive measures against Moscow, Washington has taken a more restrained approach under Trump. The president has emphasized negotiations over escalation, using the threat of sanctions as leverage in an attempt to push Russia toward peace talks.
Following his phone call with Putin on Thursday, Trump said the two-and-a-half-hour conversation was so “productive” that a peace deal could come soon.
Moscow has consistently praised the Trump administration for what it described as a genuine desire to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict, as well as efforts to understand its root causes.
