WASHINGTON, January 31. /TASS/. US senators have been looking at ways to prevent the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administration, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker told TASS on Tuesday.
"We are looking at ways to ensure that they are not removed unless something occurs that warrants that," the senator said. "We are looking at ways to take action in that regard."
He did not rule out that the US Congress might try to prevent the new president Donald Trump from lifting sanctions. "I don’t rule that out at all. My guess is that we may be looking at legislation to ensure that if sanctions are lifted, it is done by the reasons that warrant them to be lifted," the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman added.
Donald Trump’s Counselor Kellyanne Conway confirmed earlier that the US administration was considering the removal of sanctions against Russia. "All of that is under consideration," she told Fox news.
The previous US administration imposed sanctions against Russia on far-fetched pretexts ranging from the situation in Ukraine and the Syrian conflict to the human rights situation in Russia and the alleged cyberattacks on US targets during the recent presidential election.
However, Russia has been rejecting these allegations. As for sanctions, Russia’s authorities say that they should be lifted by those who introduced them so Russia has never touched upon this issue during contacts with the US.