Russian President: New US Sanctions May Harm Bilateral Relations

The Russian state news agency reports that the President of Russia has stated that the recently approved sanctions in the US Senate may harm the relations between the two countries; Vladimir Putin also mentioned that it is too early to talk about a possible retaliatory action. According to 'RIA Novosti', Mr. Putin stated on June 17, 'These [sanctions] actually complicate US-Russia relations. In my opinion, they harm these relations.' On June 14, the US Senate voted on an amendment that is part of the Iran sanctions bill, which imposes new sanctions against Russia and requires congressional approval for the lifting of sanctions imposed during Barack Obama's presidency. Previously, Mr. Putin emphasized during a television interview that there is no reason for Washington's new sanctions against Moscow, and during the recent period - since the approval of previous sanctions due to the Ukraine issue and other matters - 'nothing unusual has happened.' Russia has unilaterally annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which is part of Ukraine. In the US, there are allegations regarding Russia's interference in its elections, and Moscow is accused of supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine, while also being one of the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad in the recent severe crisis, namely the Syrian civil war. Russia has denied allegations of interference in US elections and support for militants and rebels in eastern Ukraine, and regarding Syria, it claims to have intervened at the request of the official government of that country to combat terrorism. Vladimir Putin emphasized on Saturday that he intends to see where the situation with the newly approved sanctions in the US Congress will lead; 'For this reason, it is currently too early to openly talk about a retaliatory action.' The amendment to the Russia sanctions, in addition to strengthening existing sanctions, will impose new and extensive sanctions against individuals and entities in that country due to corruption, human rights violations, and military assistance to the Syrian government. 'Increasing current sanctions, including against some energy projects and financing in some key sectors' or 'issuing licenses to implement sanctions against some key economic sectors of Russia, including mining, metals, shipping, and railways' are among the new sanctions. After the Senate voted on the new Iran sanctions bill - which includes the amendment for Russia sanctions - this bill will go to the House of Representatives, and after approval, it must be sent to the White House for signing.