In a 98-2 vote [vote count, text], the US Senate [official website] on Thursday passed H.R. 3364 [text, PDF], a bill that imposes new sanctions on Russia. This development comes two days after the House of Representatives [official website] overwhelmingly passed [JURIST report] the bill. The sanctions imposed on Russia are for, among others, human rights abuses, malicious cyber-hacking and undermining cybersecurity, providing weapons to Syria, and undermining the democratic process and threatening peace, security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Additionally, the bill includes a provision that would require President Donald Trump [official profile] to obtain the approval of Congress [official website] before he would be able to ease sanctions against Russia. Speaking in favor of the bill, Republican Senator John McCain [official website] stated [Reuters report]: “The United States of America needs to send a strong message to Vladimir Putin [official website] and any other aggressor that we will not tolerate attacks on our democracy.” Putin has threatened retaliation [Reuters report] in response to the bill, stating that the sanctions are “absolutely unlawful from the point of view of international law.” However, Russia is not the only member of the international community concerned about this legislation. The EU expressed its own concern [Reuters report] that the sanctions might affect its energy security, and some expressed concern that the sanctions could impact the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. The bill also imposes sanctions against North Korea and Iran. It will now proceed to Trump’s desk for his signature or veto. The White House [official website] has indicated that Trump will sign the bill [NYT report].

US and international sanctions on the three countries mentioned above have been on ongoing subject in the last several months. In March, the European Court of Justice [official Website] ruled [JURIST report] that EU sanctions against Russia were valid. The situation involving Russia and Ukraine has been a source of conflict since Russia’s annexation of Crimea [Reuters backgrounder] in March 2014. In January, the US expanded [JURIST report] sanctions against North Korea for human rights violations. In March 2016, the Obama administration also issued sanctions [JURIST report] against North Korea for its continued nuclear and ballistic missile testing. In December 2016, a US bill renewing sanctions against Iran for an additional ten years was enacted into law [JURIST report], without then president Barack Obama‘s [official website] signature.