White House seeking to weaken Russia sanctions bill – media

This was reported by The Telegraph citing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), according to Ukrinform.

According to WSJ sources, White House officials hoping to mend relations with Moscow have contacted Senator Graham’s office urging him to water down the legislation, which is supported by nearly the entire Senate. The bill proposes imposing 500% tariffs on countries that continue purchasing Russian oil and gas.

“Any sanction package must provide complete flexibility for the president to continue to pursue his desired foreign policy,” a White House official reportedly said.

These officials insist on introducing exemptions that would allow President Trump to choose whom or what was sanction. They are also proposing to soften the language of the bill by replacing the word “shall” with “may” to avoid making the reprimands mandatory. According to the paper’s sources, this would render the bill effectively “toothless” and incapable of hampering Putin’s war machine.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a co-author of the bill, confirmed to WSJ that private negotiations with the White House are ongoing, though he declined to comment further.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he is prepared to impose tough sanctions on Russia if he concludes that a peace agreement on Ukraine cannot be reached.

Photo: The White House