US Senators present strong sanctions bill against Russia for its aggression in Georgia, Ukraine

Five US senators have introduced a bill to the Senate which provides tougher sanctions against Russia for its illegal activities in Ukraine, Georgia and for its support of the violent regime of Bashar-al-Assad in Syria.

The bill seeks to increase economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Russia and establishes a comprehensive policy response to better position the US government to address Kremlin aggression by creating new policy offices on cyber defenses and sanctions coordination,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry cited the bill as saying.

• Read about the sanctions provided by the bill here.

Putin’s actions cannot be tolerated, and the consequences of inaction are quickly compounding – further humanitarian disaster in Syria, regional instability, kidnapping of Ukrainian sailors and seizure of ships, and the steady erosion of international norms," Senators Bob Menendez, one of the authors of the bill said.

He says that "one thing is increasingly clear: Moscow will continue to push until it meets genuine resistance." 

 That is why we are introducing a proposal to actually address the realities of the Kremlin threat in a holistic way, all while sending a crystal clear message to our adversaries that the U.S Congress will protect our institutions, allies and values even if the president chooses not to do so," the Senator stated.

The bill, which was presented yesterday, needs to be approved by the US Senate, the House of Representatives and then signed by President Donald Trump for it to come into play.

Senators Bob Menendez, Lindsey Graham, Cory Gardner, Ben Cardin and Jeanne Shaheen have drafted the bill.