WASHINGTON, July 22. /TASS/. The US administration is seeking to soften provisions of a Russia sanctions bill drafted in Congress and secure broad authority to waive the restrictions, Dr. Mark Episkopos, Eurasia Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told TASS.
He was responding to a question about whether US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the bill and his recent decision to provide Ukraine with a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems should be viewed as a tougher White House approach toward Russia.
"A Patriot licensing deal can be a long-term benefit to Ukraine in the context of postwar reconstruction but will not tangibly affect its war effort, as the logistical complexities and kinetic risks involved make it unlikely that units will be mass-produced anytime soon," the expert said.
"Instead of holding up a sanctions bill that might secure a veto-proof level of support in the Senate next year, the White House opted to negotiate its contents with the goal of moderating the language on secondary sanctions, granting the president wide waiver authority, and ensuring that his hands are not tied when it comes to negotiating the terms of a prospective peace deal," Episkopos said.
