The signing of the law on sanctions against Russia weakened the position of US President Donald Trump in the international arena, writes ABC columnist Stephanie March.
According to her, this document shows that the American leader can not mitigate restrictive measures without the approval of the congress, and deprives him of the opportunity to control the country’s foreign policy.
Immediately after the signing of the law, the president criticized the document and called it “defective.” Nevertheless, in fact, Trump had no choice, according to March. He could not afford to impose a veto on the bill, since the Congress would most likely be able to successfully abolish it.
In addition, the rejection of the signature would have negative consequences for the president, since against the backdrop of accusations against the head of the White House about “ties with Russia” such a decision could be perceived as Trump’s attempt to support Moscow, the author concludes.
Earlier, Trump signed a law introducing a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, as well as giving the Congress the last word on this issue. The document also gives the force of the law sanctions, which act on the basis of executive decrees of President Barack Obama. Such conditions significantly hamper any prospect of lifting restrictive measures against Moscow.