State Department: Sanctions Bill Represents American Will to See Improved Relations with Russia

Tillerson Hopes for “Cooperation” Between U.S. and Russia

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement today that the veto-proof legislation imposing sanctions on Russia represented the will of the American people to see improved relations with the country. 

The State Department’s commentary follows the White House’s announcement late Friday that Donald Trump will sign the legislation, which passed 419-3 in the House, 98-2 in the Senate, making it veto-proof.

The bill protects Obama-era sanctions placed upon Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential election, which the president questioned even this morning despite the consensus of all 17 U.S. government intelligence agencies. Furthermore, it imposes new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, and severely limits the president’s ability to ease them.

According to the State Department, however:

“The near unanimous votes for the sanctions legislation in Congress represent the strong will of the American people to see Russia take steps to improve relations with the United States,” the full statement reads. “We hope that there will be cooperation between our two countries on major global issues and these sanctions will no longer be necessary.”

“We will work closely with our friends and Allies to ensure our messages to Russia, Iran, and North Korea are clearly understood,” Tillerson’s statement concluded.

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