US President Donald Trump has signed legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia into law, a White House official said on Wednesday.
The US Congress voted last week by overwhelming margins for sanctions to punish the Russian government over interference in the 2016 presidential election, annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and other perceived violations of international norms.
Trump, who has made clear he wanted to improve relations with Russia, grudgingly accepted the new congressional sanctions, which also included Iran and North Korea. The bill had enough support in Congress to override a presidential veto.
Trump said that the bill is “seriously flawed”, while US Vice President Mike Pence said that it is “on balance”, reaffirming his commitment to the ongoing sanctions.
Trump's signing of the bill followed some conflicting signals from the administration in recent days about the sanctions.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Tuesday that he and Trump did not believe the new sanctions would "be helpful to our efforts" on diplomacy with Russia. Vice President Mike Pence said that the bill showed Trump and Congress were speaking "with a unified voice."
White House adviser Kellyanne Conway confirmed the signing during an interview with Fox News.
Trump's desire for better relations with Moscow has been hamstrung by findings of US intelligence agencies that Russia interfered to help the Republican against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. US congressional panels and a special counsel are investigating. Moscow denies any meddling and Trump denies any collusion by his campaign.
The Russian rouble weakened slightly following the initial report that Trump had signed the bill.
Russia Ordered Cuts to Diplomats
After Congress approved the sanctions last week, the Kremlin ordered the United States to cut about 60 percent of its diplomatic staff in Russia.
Putin said on Sunday that Russia had ordered the United States to cut 755 of its 1,200 embassy and consulate staff by September, and was seizing two diplomatic properties.
Several provisions of the new sanctions target the Russian energy sector, with new limits on US investment in Russian companies. American companies also would be barred from participating in energy exploration projects where Russian firms have a stake of 33 percent or higher.
The bill includes sanctions on foreign companies investing in or helping Russian energy exploration, although the president could waive those sanctions.
Besides angering Moscow, the legislation has upset the European Union, which has said the new sanctions might affect its energy security and prompt it to act, too.
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