Tillerson Signals Easing Policy Toward Russia on Ukraine Accord

[Swordsmyth]

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled the U.S. could ease off demands that Russia abide by the Minsk agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine, telling lawmakers that the administration doesn’t want to be “handcuffed” if Moscow and Kiev can settle their dispute another way.
Tillerson made the comment Wednesday to House lawmakers who may soon be weighing tougher sanctions against Moscow over its role in the Ukraine conflict. A bipartisan (https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-13/expanded-russia-sanctions-gain-bipartisan-support-in-u-s-senate) group of senators this week reached a compromise on legislation that would expand penalties imposed on the Kremlin in 2014. That deal would prevent the president from easing or lifting sanctions without approval from Congress.
Tillerson said the administration wants the flexibility to intensify or ease sanctions against Russia depending on whether relations improve. He emphasized that he sees the Ukraine issue as separate from evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election.

More at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-14/tillerson-signals-easing-policy-toward-russia-on-ukraine-accord

[Zippyjuan]

if Moscow and Kiev can settle their dispute another way.

Big IF. Not seeing a lot of movement in that direction.

Back in April: http://www.newsweek.com/american-sanctions-russia-wont-be-lifted-until-crimea-returned-ukraine-says-588849


U.S. SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA WON’T BE LIFTED UNTIL CRIMEA IS RETURNED TO UKRAINE: REX TILLERSON

The United States will not lift sanctions on Russia until President Vladimir Putin hands Crimea back to Ukraine, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said late Sunday.

During a phone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Tillerson said the sanctions—which have crippled Russia’s economy and pushed down the value of the ruble—will “ remain in place until Russia returns control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.”

He also said that Moscow must honor the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine that was outlined in the Minsk agreements, according to a State Department official.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s position on whether he will lift the sanctions on Russia has been unclear since his election last year. The U.S. imposed sanctions on a wide swath of Russian businesses and wealthy individuals following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean region by force in 2014.

During the 2016 election campaign Trump said that as president he would be looking at lifting the sanctions and consider whether to recognize Crimea as a part of Russia. But in February White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump was expecting Putin to hand Crimea back.

[CPUd]

837453969119195137
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/837453969119195137

[goldenequity]

Porky's comin... :D
Ukrainian president to visit Washington, meet Trump on June 19-20 - source
Interfax

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-new-russian-sanctions-bill-would-curb-trump-s-n772826

Bill also includes sanctions on Iran which Trump very much wants. Will he veto it if the House also passes it?


Senate Passes New Russian Sanctions Bill That Would Curb Trump’s Power

WASHINGTON — The Senate easily passed legislation Thursday that would impose additional sanctions against Russia and limit the president's power to lift them in the future.

The Senate passed the bill, which also includes additional sanctions on Iran, by an overwhelming 98-2 vote with Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. voting against it.

The measure will now go to the House of Representatives where the path forward is not clear. "The speaker was a vocal proponent of the last round of sanctions and believes we must do more to hold Russia accountable," said AshLee Strong, a spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan. "The Foreign Affairs Committee is reviewing the details in this latest sanctions package being voted on in the Senate, and after that we will determine a path ahead in the House."

If it passes the House, President Donald Trump would have to either sign or veto a bill that the White House has had little response to so far.

White House Principle Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration remains "committed" to the existing sanctions against Russia, calling them the "best tool" for compelling Russia to honor its commitments to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Asked if they felt handcuffed by the Senate actions, Sanders demurred, saying that because the process was still ongoing, there was no final product to weigh in on.

The sanctions are in response to a trio of Russian actions, including their interference in the 2016 election, engagement in Syria and invasion of Crimea. Trump has been reluctant to address Russian’s involvement and has repeatedly praised the country and President Vladimir Putin.

The addition of Russian sanctions to the bill was a rebuke to the president because it would prohibit the president from being able to lift them without Congressional approval.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had encouraged the Senate to hold off on more sanctions, saying that he’d like more time to try and work diplomacy with Russia.

“I would hope to allow the diplomatic efforts to attempt to make some progress,” Tillerson said earlier this week. “If we cannot make some progress, and I have told others in the Senate, I have had conversations with them, I may very well be coming to you and saying the time has come now to do this in order to motivate some movement on their part.”

But the Senate moved forward anyway.