Trump restrained in helping Russia

HANDCUFF LAW: EFFECTIVELY PUT UNDER CONGRESS’ WATCH

Harsh new sanctions against Iran, North Korea also expected.

The US House of Representatives was yesterday set to vote to slap new sanctions on Russia, a move that limits President Donald Trump’s ability to tinker with the penalties and has also triggered uproar in Moscow and Europe.

The legislation, which is the result of a congressional compromise reached at the weekend and is aimed at punishing the Kremlin for meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and Russia’s annexation of Crimea, could end up penalising European firms that contribute to the development of Russia’s energy sector.

New sanctions against Iran and North Korea for their actions on or testing of ballistic missiles are also included in the Bill.

Key among the provisions is one that handcuffs the US president by making it difficult for him to unilaterally ease penalties against Moscow in future – effectively placing him under Congress’s watch.

Initially, Trump resisted the legislation. But faced with near-total consensus among Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the White House blinked.

In mid-June, the Senate voted 98-2 in favour of tough sanctions on Moscow and Tehran, but the text stalled in the House.

Now that an agreement was reached on Saturday, the House vote could be similarly overwhelming. The measure would then return to the Senate for final passage, likely before summer break in mid-August.

The Bill includes sanctions against Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which stands accused of supporting terrorism, and North Korea for its missile tests.

“I am pleased to see the Congress work as a whole to hold Iran, Russia, and North Korea accountable for their continued destabilizing activities across the world,” Democratic Senator Robert Menendez said. The Bill also “sends a clear message to the president that Congress is prepared to act with a united voice.” – AFP