Financial Times - Trump says he will sign bill imposing new sanctions on Russia
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29 июля 2017 г. Sam Fleming.
President bows to the will of lawmakers furious at Moscow’s meddling in US election.
Donald Trump has decided to sign legislation imposing sanctions on Russia as the president bows to the will of lawmakers furious over Moscow’s meddling in the election.
The White House said in a statement that the president had reviewed the final version of the bill that has hit his desk and that “based on its responsiveness to his negotiations” he had decided to sign it into law.
The decision represents a defeat for Mr Trump given the legislation curtails his ability to ease sanctions on Russia, and it comes after an extraordinary expression of bipartisan unity on Capitol Hill. But given the vetoproof majorities in favour of the legislation in both wings of Congress, Mr Trump had little choice but to fall in line.
The prospect of the law has provoked a furious reaction from Moscow and also triggered anxiety in Europe, where US allies are worried the measures will interfere with energy infrastructure deals.
The overwhelming votes in favour of the legislation in both the House of Representative and the Senate reflect the depth of concern among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about the steady drip of revelations about Russia’s involvement in the election.
Earlier this week the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner denied colluding with Moscow as he sought to explain meetings with Russian officials that have come under scrutiny as part of the FBI inquiry that is engulfing the administration. House and Senate committees are also looking at possible ties between the campaign and Russia.
Under the new legislation, lawmakers have a 30-day review power allowing them to block administration attempts to alter sanctions on Russia — language that was added because of concerns over Mr Trump’s links to Russia.
While the administration had previously left open the possibility of a presidential veto, the White House press secretary said on Friday night that Mr Trump now “approves the bill and intends to sign it”. The Senate vote on Thursday evening was passed by a 98-2 majority, only two days after the House of Representatives cleared the legislation, which also targets Iran and North Korea, by 419-3.
Mr Trump has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with Russia, however, the package of measures from Congress is having the opposite effect. The measure this week prompted Moscow to order the US to cut staff at its diplomatic missions in Russia by more than half and threatening to expel more than 200 American diplomats.
Mr Putin has repeatedly denied US allegations that Russia interfered in its election.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in a telephone call on Thursday that Moscow’s decision was provoked by “unlawful sanctions against Russia, slanderous accusations against her, the mass expulsion of diplomats and the expropriation of our diplomatic property”.
The measures have also triggered worries within US allies: EU officials are fearful sanctions could damage multibillion-euro pipeline and infrastructure projects, damaging strategic investments and jeopardising the continent’s energy security.
This comes at a time of European anxiety over a possible separate moves by Mr Trump to crack down on steel imports, a prospect that has prompted warnings of EU retaliation.
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