US Congress won't pass sanctions against Russia without Trump's approval – Speaker Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has said that Congress will not adopt new sanctions against Russia without agreement from President Donald Trump. However, he has acknowledged that the need for sanctions has been long overdue.
Source: Johnson in an interview with CBS News
Details: Johnson said there is great interest in Congress in introducing new restrictive measures against Russia. The speaker stressed that he is ready to work with the White House and the Senate to ensure the sanctions are adopted.
Quote: "I do believe that desperate times call for desperate measures, and I think appropriate sanctions on Russia are far overdue. I mean, I think there's a big appetite for that in Congress, so we're willing to work with the White House and our Senate colleagues in the House to get that done and I'm anxious to do it, personally."
Details: Meanwhile, Johnson emphasised that Congress cannot take such decisions on its own, since the final word belongs to the president.
"The President would need to sign whatever we do into law. So it has to be a partnership, but we defer to the commander in chief," he stressed.
Background:
- On 10 September, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the US Congress is ready, if necessary, to pass a law allowing Donald Trump to impose additional sanctions over Russian aggression against Ukraine.
- On 12 September, a bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill that would designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism if they do not return more than 19,000 abducted Ukrainian children.
- On 13 September, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he is prepared to impose serious sanctions on Russia, but only if all NATO countries follow suit and stop buying Russian oil.
- Trump had earlier warned that his patience with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is "running out".
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