US Senate postpones consideration of Russia sanctions bill until after Trump's meeting with Putin – Politico

John Thune, the leader of the Republican majority in the US Senate, has said that consideration of a bill introducing new tough sanctions against Russia and its trading partners has been postponed at the request of the White House, which wants to wait for the outcome of the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: Politico

Details: Thune said that progress on the bill, despite bipartisan support, has been paused for now so as not to undermine Trump's diplomatic efforts.

"I think they're thinking that – see how this meeting goes in a couple of weeks with Putin," he told reporters.

Thune added that he is in close contact with Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the key authors of the bill, who is coordinating his actions with the White House.

"I think at least right now [Graham] is working with the White House trying to determine whether or not that meeting that happens in a couple of weeks will be a fruitful one," he noted.

Another Politico source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the bill has effectively been "on ice" until after the Trump-Putin summit.

This marks a sharp turn from last week when Thune said that it was time to act. However, that same day, Trump held a lengthy phone call with Putin, after which he publicly expressed doubts about the advisability of introducing new sanctions right now.

Quote: "The sanctions bill has more than 80 cosponsors, giving it enough support that it could overcome opposition from Trump. But Republicans have been reluctant to move forward without an explicit endorsement from the president.

The concern is that if GOP leadership were to move forward without Trump's public approval, it would put their members in a politically difficult spot if he were to subsequently come out against the bill."

Background: Trump and Putin held their first conversation in nearly two months on Thursday 16 October. Following the call, the US president said that the two leaders will hold another meeting – this time in Budapest.

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