PRESS: Obama can prolong Russia sanctions for Trump not to revoke

MOSCOW, Nov 21 (PRIME) -- U.S. President Barack Obama informally agreed with leaders of five European states to prolong the sanctions against Russia at a meeting on November 18, business daily Vedomosti reported on Monday.

Senior Researcher of the IMEMO institute Victoria Zhuravlyova told the daily that if Obama prolongs the sanctions,  President elect Donald Trump will be unable to repeal the penalties unilaterally.

“A new president can unilaterally abolish only presidential decrees of his predecessor and they cover only individual sanctions. The economic sanctions were part of the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, which was accepted and adopted by the Congress, this is why a draft law will be needed to revoke it, an agreement of the majority of the lower chamber members and consent of the Senate will be required,” Zhuravlyova said.

Obama’s promise is not binding but will influence the sanctions policies seriously, Senior Researcher of the IMEMO Vladimir Olenchenko told Vedomosti.

Bloomberg reported that as the current E.U. penalties will expire on January 31, 2017, the E.U. governments are waiting for Trump to voice his approach to the Russia–Ukraine conflict with more clarity to decide on their future steps.

The future of the sanctions will be discussed at the E.U.–Ukraine summit on Thursday. Five European officials with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg that the sanctions will most likely be prolonged.

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