The Senate will wait until after President Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin, Republican leader John Thune said.
US lawmakers have postponed any further debate on new sanctions targeting Moscow until after President Donald Trump meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Republican leader John Thune announced Monday.
The two presidents agreed during a phone call last week to meet in Hungary on an unspecified date to discuss advancing a solution to the Ukraine conflict. After the conversation, Trump said that now is not the best time to impose new sanctions against Russia.
“Right now we are pressing the pause button [on the bill]” Thune confirmed to reporters, quoted by Bloomberg.
The legislation would allow Trump to impose tariffs of up to 500% on imports from nations that continue to buy Russian energy – a measure aimed at large consumers such as China and India – along with other economic restrictions.

The bill has stalled in the Senate since its introduction in April, despite support from at least 85 of the 100 senators. Thune said last week that a vote could take place within 30 days, although according to Bloomberg, Trump has so far resisted allowing it to move forward.
While the EU has tightened punitive measures against Moscow, Washington has taken a more moderate approach under Trump. The president has emphasized negotiations over escalation, using the threat of sanctions as leverage in an attempt to push Russia toward peace talks.
After his phone call with Putin on Thursday, Trump said the two-and-a-half-hour conversation was so “productive” that a peace agreement could come soon.
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Moscow has consistently praised the Trump administration for what it described as a genuine desire to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, as well as its efforts to understand its root causes.
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