100% of the US Senate passed the bill to sanction Russia

(Baonghean.vn) - On July 27, the US Senate passed the US unilateral sanctions bill against Russia, Iran and North Korea with 98 votes in favor and only 2 votes against. The bill also blocks President Donald Trump's right to ease sanctions against Russia, without the consent of the US Congress.

The US unilateral sanctions bill against Russia on the grounds that Moscow had deeply interfered in the 2016 election. Photo: AP

"We have reached an agreement that will allow the embargo request to be sent directly to the president's desk," said Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said the Senate would soon pass the sanctions against Russia and Iran, which were passed in mid-June. In addition, the House of Representatives' sanctions against North Korea would also be signed. After the North Korea sanctions bill was delayed since mid-June, it is very likely that the sanctions will be implemented in September.

If the bill passes the Senate, it will be sent to President Trump to sign into law or veto. However, Mr. Trump's ability to veto is very limited because Congress can override and the bill will still become law.

The bill builds on restrictions on Moscow implemented by the previous administration of Barack Obama, related to issues such as cooperation in arms production and the armed forces of the two countries, as well as tightening Western credit to Russian companies, especially oil and gas.

Accordingly, this new Bill proposes new sanctions against Russia in the form of blocking all bank assets or denying visas and entry into the United States.

The bill also mentions that the US must continue to oppose the construction of the "NordStream 2" gas pipeline. In Washington's view, "NordStream 2" is causing disadvantages, affecting the EU's energy security, the development of the gas market in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the energy sectors in Ukraine. The bill requires US authorities to develop a strategy to prioritize US energy exports to the European market, in order to "create jobs for workers and help allies in the EU".

Responding to the news that the US Senate passed the Bill, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is sad considering the current Russia-US relationship. We consider this an extremely unfriendly act by the US."

Mr. Peskov also added that the Russian President will consider appropriate retaliatory measures. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the US move had "completely extinguished" hopes of easing bilateral tensions. The European Union also voiced strong opposition, and said it would take appropriate countermeasures against the US because this unilateral sanctions bill would affect the energy security of this bloc.

Passing the bill by both houses of Congress would put President Trump in a difficult position. Using his veto power on the bill would anger many lawmakers, who believe that President Donald Trump is making concessions to Russia./.

America and Russia

(According to TASS)