White House Delay Puts Russia Sanctions on Hold
(MENAFN) Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced on Tuesday that a fresh round of U.S. sanctions targeting Russia is currently paused, pending approval from the White House.
His remarks came shortly after confirmation from a White House representative that plans for President Donald Trump to engage in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary had also been shelved.
Thune had previously linked the progress of the sanctions legislation to the outcomes of that proposed meeting.
“We want to put it on the floor when the White House believes it’s useful to them to get Putin to the table, and to get a deal that ends the war. So we’re prepared to act,” Thune told reporters after attending a lunch meeting with the president at the White House.
He added, “We want to do everything we can to support the president, his team's efforts and the efforts of our allies to bring this, the bloodshed to an end in a peaceful conclusion.”
The proposed sanctions measure appears poised for swift passage in the Senate, assuming it is officially introduced. It has garnered support from 85 out of 100 senators.
The only apparent obstacle remaining is formal approval from the president.
Earlier that day, a White House official shared that a second summit between Trump and Putin had been postponed.
This followed what the official described as a "productive" phone conversation between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
On October 16, Trump had revealed his intention to meet Putin in Budapest within a fortnight, following a phone call with the Russian leader.
He also stated that Lavrov and Rubio would meet during the same week to finalize arrangements for the summit. According to the same official, that meeting has also been called off.
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