VP Pence says Trump will sign Russia sanctions soon
Posted August 01, 2017 7:00 am
MOSCOW (AP) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says President Donald Trump will sign a bill on a new package of sanctions against Russia.
The Senate voted last week to approve the new financial sanctions against Moscow. The legislation bars Trump from easing or waiving the penalties on Russia unless Congress agrees.
Pence, who is visiting the former Soviet republic of Georgia Tuesday, said the Trump administration "had concerns" about the bill when it was drafted in the Senate, but that Trump will sign it soon.
Russia on Friday ordered the U.S. Embassy and three U.S. consulates in Russia to drastically cut its personnel there. President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday it would mean 755 staffers will have to be dismissed.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, right, and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili attend an official dinner in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, July 31, 2017. Pence will meet the President and Prime Minister of pro-Western Georgia and observes NATO-Georgian military exercises. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, pool)
The Associated Press
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, shake hands after their news conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Zurab Kurtsikidze/Pool Photo via AP)
The Associated Press
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence gestures while speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Zurab Kurtsikidze/Pool Photo via AP)
The Associated Press
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, center, attends a meeting with Georgia opposition leaders in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. Chief of Staff to the Vice President Nick Ayers is in the center right, and United States Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly, center left. (Zurab Kurtsikidze/Pool Photo via AP)
The Associated Press