Senators Look To Impose New Sanctions Against Russia

Senators reached a bipartisan agreement Monday on a possible new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Leaders of the foreign relations and banking committees negotiated the deal — a response to Russia's involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as wars in Syria and Ukraine.

If approved, new sanctions would be placed on Russians who supply weapons to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, violate human rights or conduct cyberactivity for the government.

The deal also tightens existing sanctions against Russia, including ones former President Barack Obama imposed against Russian diplomats living in the U.S.

President Donald Trump previously said he'd consider relaxing sanctions against Russia if it helped the U.S. fight terrorism.

But this new agreement would make it more difficult for Trump to do that. The deal requires a congressional review of any changes to Russian sanctions.

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Now, these sanctions aren't a done deal yet.

The proposal is tacked on as an amendment to a bill about sanctions on Iran.

The bill and its amendment need approval from the full Senate and the House of Representatives before heading to Trump's desk for final approval.