Putin Says Proposed New Sanctions Result of Internal Politics in US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A new round of proposed US sanctions on Russia is evidence of an internal political struggle in the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday during his annual question and answer session with Russian citizens.
Putin further said Washington's policy of imposing sanctions on Moscow on various pretexts had always been to try to contain Russia, Reuters reported.
The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday for new sanctions to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, and to force President Donald Trump to get Congress' approval before easing any existing sanctions.
Republican senators said Tuesday they expected Trump to sign the bill, which will still need to be passed in the House before it goes to the president's desk.
Trump administration officials, however, have expressed some concerns with the package. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told a Senate panel Tuesday he was wary of actions that could interfere with the administration's efforts to improve relations with Russia.
"What I wouldn't want to do is close the channels off," Tillerson said.