Putin: No ‘retaliatory actions’ yet for new US sanctions

by Alicia Cohn - 06/17/17 7:57 AM ET

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said it’s premature to discuss “retaliatory actions” on new U.S. sanctions toward Moscow.

“We need to see how it is all going to be. That is why it is premature to speak publicly about our retaliatory actions,” Putin said, according to Reuters.

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The Trump administration has sought to avoid new sanctions in order to avoid souring the U.S.-Russia relationship that has shown signs of improvement under President Trump.

However Congress is moving on its own toward increased censure for Moscow. The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia and giving Congress the ability to block Trump from lifting current sanctions.

The sanctions include censure for any individuals tied to “malicious cyber activity” or to Russia’s intelligence and defense sectors and entities supplying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

Putin warned new sanctions “will of course complicate the Russian-American relationship,” according to ABC News.

The legislation next has to clear a House vote.

Tags Bashar al-Assad Donald Trump Russia–United States relations Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin