Heh, never mind, no new sanctions vs. Putin after all

PRESIDENT TRUMP didn’t issue additional sanctions against Russia Monday, contradicting an announcement by his United Nations ambassador.

UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said Sunday night that sanctions would be announced Monday against Russian manufacturers who produced equipment believed to have been used by the Syrian government in its deadly chemical attacks on its own people.

But as Moscow railed against the upcoming sanctions, Trump backpedaled on the announcement, telling his national security advisers late Sunday that he wasn't comfortable with the idea, several people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

Haley made “an error that needs to be mopped up,” one source said.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted Haley’s announcement as premature.

“We are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future,” Sanders said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, Sanders said Trump’s invitation to host President Vladimir Putin at the White House still stands.

“He thinks it is better for the world if he has a good relationship with them,” Sanders said.

Trump’s sanctions reluctance comes on the heels of a U.S. missile strike against Syria in retaliation for a chemical attack that left at least 40 people dead in the rebel-controlled Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7.

In announcing the missile strike Friday, Trump faulted Russia for defending Syrian President Bashar Assad, questioning why any nation “wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children.”

Trump has long advocated for better relations with the Kremlin, drawing suspicion from many who point to the investigation of the President’s campaign for possible collusion with Moscow.

Prior to the missile strike, Russia and Syria had invited international chemical weapons inspectors to Douma, claiming they wanted to prove no illegal weapons were used.

But on Monday, authorities from the two countries blocked the personnel from Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons from accessing the site.

OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu said Russian and Syrian officials cited “pending security issues” for barring inspectors from the city.