US Senators: Trump's Administration Missed Opportunity to Impose Additional Restrictions on Russia

SadaNews - Members of the Democratic Party in the US Senate expressed their belief that the American sanctions system against Russia has weakened under the current administration of President Donald Trump, according to a report released yesterday, Tuesday.

 

The report, prepared by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (from New Hampshire) and Elizabeth Warren (from Massachusetts), indicated that Washington "immediately ceased imposing major sanctions and taking export control measures that could enhance American pressure" on Russia upon Trump's assumption of office.

The lawmakers see that the current Republican administration has "repeatedly shown a lack of willingness to maintain effective sanctions" against Russia.

The senators believe that Trump's administration missed the opportunity to impose additional restrictions on Russian oil exports. They also noted that oversight of the American sanctions system against Russia has decreased due to the current administration's reduction of staff in several agencies, including the State Department, Treasury, Commerce, and Justice.

Shaheen and Warren warned that "this threatens to undermine our ability to maintain, strengthen, and enforce export controls." The report revealed that the Policy Coordination Division in the State Department now only includes two employees, with no official appointed to oversee it.

In early July, Shaheen and Warren, along with Democratic Senator Chris Coons (from Delaware), announced their intention to investigate why the Trump administration has not imposed any new sanctions on the Russian military-industrial complex since taking office. This report is a result of that investigation.

It is noteworthy that Trump announced on July 14 that the United States would impose nearly 100% tariffs on Russia and its trade partners if Moscow and Washington did not reach an agreement on Ukraine within 50 days. He then announced on July 29 that the deadline was reduced to 10 days.

On August 5, Trump stated that the United States would make a decision later regarding the imposition of the mentioned tariffs, indicating that the next American steps would depend on the results of the talks his special envoy Stephen Witkoff would hold in Moscow.

Source: RT