Donald Trump reluctantly signed a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia yesterday, with Moscow saying the move ended hopes for better relations between the two countries.
The US president himself called the measure “seriously flawed” and attacked Congress for forcing his hand.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, said the new sanctions were tantamount to a "full-scale trade war".
He said that the move showed the Trump administration was utterly powerless. "The hope that our relations with the new American administration would improve is finished," he wrote on Facebook.
Mr Trump had privately opposed the move and approved the bill behind closed doors, unlike other bill signings for which he has invited television cameras into the White House.
The president then issued a scathing statement which exacerbated divisions between himself and members of his own Republican Party in Congress, saying he had only consented to the new law “for the sake of national unity”.
Mr Trump had wanted the power to alter sanctions to give him room for diplomatic manoeuvre with Russia, with whom he has repeatedly suggested friendlier relations. But the bill, which was passed overwhelmingly by the Republican-controlled Congress last week, prevents him from doing so without Congressional approval.
Some Republicans in Congress were concerned that if Mr Trump was allowed to dictate the future of sanctions, he could reduce them without gaining enough in return from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Mr Trump accused Congress of acting “unconstitutionally” and “encroaching on the executive branch’s authority”. He said: “The bill remains seriously flawed. The framers of our Constitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the president. This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice.
“I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars. That is a big part of the reason I was elected. As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress. Congress could not even negotiate a healthcare bill after seven years of talking.”
Mr Trump said he hoped there would be “cooperation” with Russia “on major global issues so that these sanctions will no longer be necessary”.
Russia's foreign ministry said that new US sanctions amounted to "dangerous" and "short-sighted" policy.
In a statement, the ministry said the sanctions against Russia had put global stability at risk, a matter Moscow said it and the United States bear particular responsibility for, adding that the measures amounted to "hostile action" for which it reserves the right to respond.
The sanctions are aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election in what intelligence agencies have concluded was an attempt to help Mr Trump win.
They also penalise Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, and impose further financial sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Russia’s energy sector is targeted with new limits on US investment in Russian companies. US companies will also be banned from engaging in energy exploration projects in which Russian firms have more than a third stake.
The European Union says the sanctions might impact its energy security. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said Europe would take counter-measures if the US sanctions harmed its companies involved in oil and gas projects with Russia. He said: “We are ready. We must defend our economic interests vis-à-vis the United States, and we will do that.”
Meanwhile, Mike Pence, the US vice-president, lambasted Russia for trying to “destabilise” the Western Balkans and “casting a shadow from the East”.
On a visit to Montenegro, the newest member of Nato, Mr Pence said: “The president and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia. A better relationship, the lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused the sanctions to be imposed in the first place.”
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The US president himself called the measure “seriously flawed” and attacked Congress for forcing his hand.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, said the new sanctions were tantamount to a "full-scale trade war".
He said that the move showed the Trump administration was utterly powerless. "The hope that our relations with the new American administration would improve is finished," he wrote on Facebook.
Mr Trump had privately opposed the move and approved the bill behind closed doors, unlike other bill signings for which he has invited television cameras into the White House.
The president then issued a scathing statement which exacerbated divisions between himself and members of his own Republican Party in Congress, saying he had only consented to the new law “for the sake of national unity”.
Mr Trump had wanted the power to alter sanctions to give him room for diplomatic manoeuvre with Russia, with whom he has repeatedly suggested friendlier relations. But the bill, which was passed overwhelmingly by the Republican-controlled Congress last week, prevents him from doing so without Congressional approval.
Some Republicans in Congress were concerned that if Mr Trump was allowed to dictate the future of sanctions, he could reduce them without gaining enough in return from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Mr Trump accused Congress of acting “unconstitutionally” and “encroaching on the executive branch’s authority”. He said: “The bill remains seriously flawed. The framers of our Constitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the president. This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice.
“I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars. That is a big part of the reason I was elected. As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress. Congress could not even negotiate a healthcare bill after seven years of talking.”
Mr Trump said he hoped there would be “cooperation” with Russia “on major global issues so that these sanctions will no longer be necessary”.
Russia's foreign ministry said that new US sanctions amounted to "dangerous" and "short-sighted" policy.
In a statement, the ministry said the sanctions against Russia had put global stability at risk, a matter Moscow said it and the United States bear particular responsibility for, adding that the measures amounted to "hostile action" for which it reserves the right to respond.
The sanctions are aimed at punishing Moscow for interfering in the 2016 US presidential election in what intelligence agencies have concluded was an attempt to help Mr Trump win.
They also penalise Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, and impose further financial sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Russia’s energy sector is targeted with new limits on US investment in Russian companies. US companies will also be banned from engaging in energy exploration projects in which Russian firms have more than a third stake.
The European Union says the sanctions might impact its energy security. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said Europe would take counter-measures if the US sanctions harmed its companies involved in oil and gas projects with Russia. He said: “We are ready. We must defend our economic interests vis-à-vis the United States, and we will do that.”
Meanwhile, Mike Pence, the US vice-president, lambasted Russia for trying to “destabilise” the Western Balkans and “casting a shadow from the East”.
On a visit to Montenegro, the newest member of Nato, Mr Pence said: “The president and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia. A better relationship, the lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused the sanctions to be imposed in the first place.”
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