US Senators' Plan for Congressional Oversight on Potential Reduction of Sanctions Against Russia

On Wednesday, US senators introduced a plan to give Congress the authority to review any potential actions by the White House to reduce sanctions against Russia. According to Reuters, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin proposed this plan titled 'Russia Sanctions Facilitation Act of 2017,' which resembles a plan approved by the Senate for oversight of the Iran nuclear deal in 2015. This plan requires the Trump administration to provide Congress with the necessary details and explanations for any potential reduction of sanctions against Russia. Additionally, Moscow must guarantee that it will stop supporting actions to undermine the Ukrainian government and cyberattacks against the United States and its citizens in exchange for the reduction of sanctions. The plan allows members of the House of Representatives and the Senate 120 days to review the government's action on sanctions reduction and to approve or reject it if deemed appropriate. If members do not vote within this 120-day period, the government's action to ease sanctions against Russia will become legal. Reports indicate that John McCain, a prominent Republican figure in the Senate, and Marco Rubio, a Republican senator, support this plan. US sanctions against Russia, in line with the European Union, have been in place since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In recent weeks, there have been reports and speculations about the possibility of Donald Trump lifting sanctions against Russia. Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly defended improving relations with Russia, stated on January 11 during his first press conference after winning the election that 'if Putin is interested in Trump, I consider it an asset, not a liability.' However, it remains unclear whether Republican leaders in the House will support this plan.