The U.S. Senate unanimously approved new economic sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine moments before leaving the Capitol Saturday night.
The bill will now head to President Barack Obama to sign or veto. Obama has said he opposes additional sanctions on Russia unless Europe is involved, saying it would be "counterproductive" for the U.S. to "get out ahead of Europe further" on sanctions, AFP reported.
The three additional sanctions will be imposed on Russian state-owned weapons company Rosoboronexport, "any person that knowingly makes a significant investment in a special Russian crude oil project" and anyone involved in transferring or selling weapons to Syria or "into the territory of a specified country without its government's consent."
The Ukraine Freedom Support Act also authorizes - but does not require - Obama to provide $350 million in weapons, military assistance, and energy aid to Ukraine through 2017, including anti-tank weapons, ammunition and surveillance drones.
The bill also authorizes Obama to penalize the top Russian natural gas producer Gazprom if it is "withholding significant natural gas supplies from North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries, or further withholds significant natural gas supplies from countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, or Moldova."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Sunday with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at Villa Taverna in Rome, although the majority of talks focused on the Middle East, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Russia said on Friday that should the U.S. impose new sanctions, it will take counter-measures, although it offered no specifics. Moscow accused Washington of doing everything it can to "destroy the carcass of cooperation" between the countries, reported Reuters.
Last week, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich called the legislation "deeply confrontational" and said it will "destory cooperation" between the two countries, adding that Russia will not "succumb to blackmail, won't compromise its national interests and won't allow interference in its internal affairs," Bloomberg reported.
The sanctions are largely due to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and accusations from the West that Russia is arming and supporting pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, something Russia has adamantly denied. Lavrov has claimed sanctions are designed to bring about regime change within the country.
