US Congressional Committee Approves Tougher Anti-Russia Sanctions

A US congressional committee has approved a draft bill on tougher sanctions against Russia.

The US House of Representatives' Committee on International Affairs has passed the Stability and Democracy (STAND) for Ukraine Act, which provides assistance to Ukraine in carrying out democratic reforms.

US Capitol. Photo: Sputnik

The authors of the bill propose to tightly tie the US presidential administration's authority to lift sanctions against Russia to the status of Crimea.

If the document is approved, the US head of state will be able to lift anti-Moscow measures only in two cases: after determining "the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea", or if it is proven that "the decision on the status of the peninsula was made under international control and recognized by the democratically elected Government of Ukraine".

However, it is known that the US State Department does not approve of the above bill because it believes that the idea of ​​formalizing such a sanctions system will reduce the main flexibility in using sanctions "to restore Ukraine's sovereignty, in cooperation with the EU"./.

According to Sputnik