According to a senior White House official on Monday, President Donald Trump is prepared to sign legislation imposing penalties on Russia as long as he maintains final say over any such actions.
Late on Sunday, Trump told reporters that it was "OK with me" that Republicans were drafting legislation to put sanctions on nations that do business with Russia due to Moscow's inability to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine. Trump stated that Congress might adopt his recommendation to include Iran in the penalties.
The bill to put penalties on nations conducting business with Russia, including purchasers of its energy exports, was supported by Republicans Senator Lindsey Graham and U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick.
The proposal may proceed in Congress as a result of Trump's remarks on Sunday. Since Trump has preferred to slap taxes on commodities imported from India, the world's second largest buyer of Russian oil after China, leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives have refrained from putting the legislation to a vote.
The official responded, "He would sign it," when asked if Trump was now prepared to support the bill. Last night, he gave that signal.
However, the insider stated that the White House will insist on particular wording that guarantees Trump's control over the penalties.
"It's always been important to the White House and the president that there's a carve out in the sanctions package that ensures the president has the ultimate decision making authority on the sanctions," said the official. "So as long as that is included, I think the president would entertain signing the bill."
The official stated that the White House was still engaged in talks to terminate the war with Russia. "We're undoubtedly still working on it. We have so much going on that it hasn't been the main focus of the news."
