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White House "considering" additional sanctions on Russia

WASHINGTON, April 16 (KUNA) -- The White House said Monday that it is "considering" additional sanctions on Russia," and that it is "evaluating." White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders told reporters "we are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future," adding, "we're evaluating, but nothing to announce right now." US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Sunday "you will see that Russian sanctions will be coming down, and they will go directly to any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons used." Sander stressed that Trump "has been clear that he's going to be tough on Russia.
But at the same time, he'd still like to have a good relationship with them. But that's going to be determined by whether or not Russia decides if they want to be a better actor in this process or not." "So far, we've seen that isn't the case, and the President is going to continue to be tough on them. And that's why we're continuing to evaluate a number of sanctions," she remarked.
She added that Trump "still would like to sit down" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying "he feels like it's better for the world if they have a good relationship. But that's going to depend on the actions of Russia." She stressed "we've been very clear, in our actions, what we expect. And we hope that they'll have a change in their behavior." Asked what is the US's commitment to Syria right now, Sanders reiterated "our policy hasn't changed.
We're still committed to defeating (IS). We want to see that happen." "We still have troops on the ground. But the President wants to bring those people home, and that hasn't shifted," she affirmed. (end) si.mb