Kremlin holds off on responding to new U.S. sanctions
MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Wednesday refrained from discussing its possible response to a new package of U.S. sanctions against Russia before President Donald Trump signs them into law.
Eager to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential election, Congress on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed a new package of sanctions against Moscow that prohibits Trump from waiving the penalties without first getting permission from Congress.
Senior Russian officials and lawmakers said Russia was considering measures in response to the new round of sanctions, but Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said it was too early to speak about it. Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the new sanctions, which he described as "lamentable," have not been signed by Trump into law yet and that the Kremlin "needs to analyze it very carefully" before Putin makes a decision on how to respond.
When outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama imposed new sanctions on Russia last December, including expelling dozens of Russian diplomats and seizing two Russian recreational estates, Putin chose not to respond and said Russia would not expel U.S. diplomats despite the overwhelming expectations.
Russian officials welcomed Donald Trump's presidential win last year, hoping to mend relations with the United States that reached a post-Cold War low under President Barack Obama. But six months into Trump's presidency, ties between the two countries remain tense, and the much-anticipated first meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin early this month did not seem to produce any tangible results.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-shifts-criticism-in-latest-sessions-attack/ar-AAoRKq2?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp
Have veto pen ready Mr. Trump or we release pee tape - Vladimir Putin
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