President Trump is “looking at” changes to U.S. sanctions on Russia, according to National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn.
He made the comment to reporters Thursday while on Air Force One en route to a meeting of the G-7 nations in Sicily.
“Right now, we don’t have a position,” he said when asked about the Trump administration’s position on the issue. Cohn also said Russia will be discussed at the two-day summit, according to the Associated Press.
Russia was removed from the G-8 after it annexed Crimea in 2014, thus making the group into the G-7.
The U.S. Senate is looking to slap more sanctions on Russia, pending a report from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Sen. Bob Corker,.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said on Thursday that his panel could take up new legislation for sanctions by the summer, in response to Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election, according to Reuters.
The Obama administration had administered sanctions against Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, and another round was put in place in December, along with ordering dozens of diplomats out of the country, in retaliation against Russia’s alleged election hacking.
