Schumer to force vote on U.S. decision to lift sanctions on Russia firms
WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader
Chuck Schumer said on Saturday he will force a vote soon on a
resolution to disapprove the Trump administration's decision to
relax sanctions on three Russian companies connected to oligarch
Oleg Deripaska.
"I have concluded that the Treasury Department's proposal is
flawed and fails to sufficiently limit Oleg Deripaska's control
and influence of these companies and the Senate should move to
block this misguided effort by the Trump Administration and keep
these sanctions in place," Schumer said in a news release.
The U.S. Treasury announced on Dec. 20 that it would lift
sanctions imposed in April on the core businesses of Deripaska,
including aluminum giant Rusal its parent En+ and
power firm EuroSibEnergo, watering down the toughest penalties
imposed since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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After lobbying by European governments that followed the
imposition of sanctions, Washington postponed enforcement of the
sanctions and started talks with Deripaska's team on removing
Rusal and En+ from the blacklist if he ceded control of Rusal.
The businessman, who has close ties to the Kremlin, also had
ties with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager,
documents have showed.
An FBI agent said in an affidavit attached to a 2017 search
warrant unsealed earlier this year that he had reviewed tax
returns for a company controlled by Manafort and his wife that
showed a $10 million loan from a Russian lender identified as
Deripaska.
On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insisted
that the Trump administration would keep tight control on
companies linked to Deripaska, despite the decision to ease
restrictions.
Mnuchin said the firms would face consequences including the
reimposition of sanctions if they failed to comply with the
terms.
Schumer said given Deripaska's potential involvement with
Manafort, and since special counsel Robert Mueller's
investigation into Trump's ties with Russia has not yet
concluded, "It’s all the more reason these sanctions must remain
in place."
Passage of the resolution of disapproval of Treasury's
decision would require the approval of both the
Democratic-majority house and the Senate, led by Trump's fellow
Republicans who are unlikely to break with his policy.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Timothy Gardner; Editing by
Kim Coghill)
