While Donald Trump was off in Singapore trying to avert a third world war, his Treasury secretary was busy at home, trying to start one.
Steven Mnuchin used the U.S. president’s absence from Washington for a historic peace summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as an opportunity to jack up sanctions against the Russian Federation.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has spoken out regarding a tough new sanctions bill currently on Donald Trump’s desk.
The secretary answered questions regarding the sanctions during a nearly one hour press conference on Tuesday.
Congress sent legislation to the president last week which locks in sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea, requiring the consent of Congress for removal. The bill was passed by an overwhelming veto-proof margin in both houses.
Despite the White House’s apparent opposition, the US congress has passed a new sanctions package against Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Donald Trump seems destined to sign the legislation – and in fact, he has little choice.
Congress passed the bill by a nearly unanimous, veto-proof vote of those present: 419-3 in the House and 98-2 in the Senate (Sens. Paul and Sanders dissenting).
A new bill introduced by US legislators seeks to impose new economic sanctions against Russia, including North Korea and Iran. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects the bill to become law, pending approval from US President Donald Trump.
In my lengthy discussion of the new anti-Russian sanctions package, which the US House of Representatives is expected to vote for tomorrow, I said that the EU would be furious at being presented by the US with a sanctions fait accompli introduced without any prior consultation, and which the EU would undoubtedly see as at least in part an attempt by certain groups in the US to force the EU to buy expensive US liquified natural gas in preference to cheap Russian pipeline gas.
The Republican majority US House of Representatives has blocked a Senate bill which passed 98-2 in the upper chamber. The bill would codify into Federal law, a plethora of US sanctions against Russia.
House Republicans cited a provision of the Constitution requiring all bills which regulate Federal revenue to originate in the House rather than the Senate.
The Duran’s Alexander Mercouris had previously written that the bill could be unconstitutional on even broader grounds as it interferes with the President’s ability to make and conduct foreign policy.
Shortly after the joint statement of the German and Austrian foreign ministers angrily denouncing the new sanctions against Russia voted on by the US Senate, Angela Merkel has added her voice to the protest and is making her opposition to the latest sanctions clear.
In her usual Sphinx like way Merkel avoided making a statement herself. However her views have been made known by her spokesman Steffen Seibert in a briefing earlier today
The US Senate – as universally predicted – has approved by a 97-2 margin further sanctions against Russia, codifying sanctions previously imposed by US President Obama into law.
The supposed purpose of these sanctions is to “punish” Russia for its alleged interference in last year’s US elections.
Though Monday’s terrorist attack on the metro in Russia’s second largest city St. Petersburg has understandably stolen most Russia-related headlines during the past few days, a couple events took place in the city concurrently which are worthy of some attention.
Besides French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen’s surprise meeting with Vladimir Putin today, another important meeting between German leaders and Russia’s president happened last week, but has gone almost unreported outside German media.
Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer, who holds a powerful position in German politics, visited Moscow on March 16th, bringing with him a massive delegation of German political and business leaders.
