Senators Reject Better Ties to Russia, Demand More Aggressive Action

Lawmakers see bipartisan unity on imposing new sanctions

On Monday, President Trump again said he would like better ties with Russia, and suggested he was open to easing sanctions in return for Russia doing thinks for the US. This was followed by a flurry of senators rejecting that idea, and demanding even more sanctions.

Lawmakers from both parties say they believe that Congress is united on acting against the “Russian menace,” and will be doing so with a single voice, looking to do far more than the Trump Administration’s own sanctions against Russia, the most recent of which were announced Tuesday.

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) complained that Trump hadn’t singled out any new “oligarchs” for sanctions since April, suggesting that proves he is accommodating the Russians. He promised more legislation, though Senate leaders say a vote is unlikely to happen until after the mid-term elections.

The Kremlin isn’t seeing the Trump Administration as nearly so accommodating. They responded to Trump’s Monday comments saying they like the idea of better cooperation, but would prefer some ‘concrete action’ by the US instead of just words.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.