US Senators Reach Agreement on New Sanctions Against Russia

Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties have reached an agreement on the imposition of new sanctions against Russia. The new sanctions are set to be added to a separate proposal regarding sanctions on Iran that is being discussed in the United States Congress. Previously, Democratic Senator Ben Cardin had stated that lawmakers in the Senate would likely reach an agreement on the sanctions by Monday evening. Ultimately, on the evening of Monday, June 12, US time, senior representatives from the 'Banking' and 'Foreign Relations' committees announced that an agreement had been reached, which stipulates that if the President of the United States intends to reduce or end current sanctions, he must consult Congress. According to a report by the Associated Press, the recent sanctions include new measures against individuals involved in 'human rights violations' in Russia or the supply of weapons to the Bashar al-Assad regime. NBC News states that 'increased current sanctions, including against certain energy projects and financing in key sectors' or 'authorization to implement sanctions against key economic sectors in Russia, including mining, metals, shipping, and railways' are among the new sanctions. The new proposal, presented by Senator Ben Cardin and Republican Senator John McCain, calls for sanctions against Russia for its 'interference in the US elections' and the 'role' Moscow plays in the ongoing crises in Ukraine and Syria. Russia has denied interfering in the US elections and in Ukraine's internal affairs. The country annexed Crimea from Ukraine, which has faced opposition from the United Nations. Moscow claims its actions in Syria are at the request of the current government and its representative at the UN, aimed at combating terrorist groups. The Russian government has yet to respond to the approval of the new proposal. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader in the Senate, stated on Monday that the Democratic Party 'strongly insists that sanctions against Russia should proceed in parallel with sanctions against Iran.' The proposal calling for new sanctions against Iran was approved earlier in June by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. These sanctions are considered due to Iran's development of ballistic missiles, support for Islamist militia groups, arms transfers, and human rights violations in the country. John Kerry, the US Secretary of State during Barack Obama's presidency, who also led the nuclear negotiations with Iran, warned about the imposition of sanctions that could undermine the nuclear agreement. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez and Republican Senator Bob Corker, the sponsors of the new sanctions proposal against Iran, claim that these sanctions do not violate the nuclear agreement. The Hill, a website covering Congress, reports that the new sanctions proposal against Iran and the sections related to Russia are expected to be approved by Congress this week. In this context, US-Russia negotiations on establishing safe zones in Syria 'without Iran's participation' continue. Russia has requested that the US no longer attack Assad's supporting forces. The Syrian army and Iranian-backed militias have 'intensified their attacks in Daraa.' The Russian police arrested the leader of the opposition to Putin on the eve of protest demonstrations. The US Secretary of Defense named North Korea as 'the most significant current threat to peace and security.'