Three US Democratic senators launch investigation into pause in sanctions against Russia

Democratic US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Coons announced on July 3 that they are launching an investigation into the Trump administrationʼs pause in imposing new sanctions on Russia. Since the start of Donald Trumpʼs second term, the United States has not imposed any new sanctions on Russia, and in some cases has even eased restrictions.

This is reported by The Hill.

In a joint statement, the lawmakers wrote that the lack of new sanctions only allows Putin to continue his attacks on Ukraine, despite Trumpʼs repeated statements that he would quickly end the war. In nearly three years of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, President Bidenʼs administration has imposed more than 6,200 sanctions on entities associated with Russia. Thatʼs an average of more than 170 new sanctions per month.

“Americans should ask why a president who says he wants to end a major war instead allows an aggressor to act with impunity. […] In addition to cutting off key aid to Ukraine, President Trump has blocked regular updates to our sanctions and export controls for five months and continues to do so, allowing a growing wave of sanctions evaders in China and around the world to continue supplying the Russian war machine,” the senators wrote.

The investigation comes after the Pentagon ordered a halt to the delivery of some air defense interceptor missiles and precision-guided munitions to Ukraine last month, a decision that was announced this week. Leading Democrats, including Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were quick to criticize the report of the arms halt.

Shaheen, Warren, and Coons urge the administration to enforce existing sanctions against Moscow, including by reinstating the regular designation of companies that currently support Russia’s defense industry. They also urge the United States to join its European partners and the G7 in strengthening sanctions to bring the Kremlin into negotiations.

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