U.S. Senate delays Russia sanctions bill until Trump-Putin talks

Bloomberg reported the information.

“At least at the moment, we’re kind of hitting the pause button,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, adding that he will decide whether to bring the bill to a vote after the U.S.-Russia leaders meet. “We’ve been trying to do this all along in concert with the White House.”

The bill would impose strict restrictions on Russia and its trade partners purchasing Russian energy.

It also sets tariffs of up to 500% on imports from countries that do not support Ukraine, potentially affecting China and India.

Although the bipartisan sanctions bill has support from at least 85 senators, the legislation has stalled because Trump has not yet signaled approval for a Senate vote.

According to Thune, one of the bill’s sponsors, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is coordinating with the White House to assess whether the upcoming U.S.-Russia meeting “will be a fruitful one and will help move the process forward.”

“If it doesn’t, I still think the sanctions bill is a tool in the president’s tool chest that he can use against the Russians to get them to the table,” he concluded.

• On October 16, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and said he had agreed on a meeting in Budapest. 
• Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he is ready to participate in a meeting between Trump and Putin in any format that would yield results.
• On October 21, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó will visit Washington amid a possible Trump-Putin meeting.