Foreign Relations Committee Members Confident on Bipartisan Deal for Russian Sanctions

Two top senators with the Foreign Relations Committee say they are confident on reaching a bipartisan deal on Russian sanctions when the Senate comes back from recess. Senator Bob Menendez said quote ‘We have been working in good faith. We’ve been accommodating different views and we are committed, jointly, in a bipartisan way to defend Ukraine and to send Putin a message. It’ll be bluntly and consequential.’ He also added that some sanctions could happen up front and others would go into effect if Russia were to invade Ukraine. Senator Jim Risch said a major sticking point in negotiations for the economic sanctions package continues to be the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. The White House has warned that a Russian invasion into Ukraine is ‘imminent’ as a build-up of Russian forces on the border continues. On Friday, President Biden said he will move U.S. troops to NATO allies in eastern Europe in the ‘near term.’ On Saturday it was reported that the U.S. has seen indications that Russia has positioned supplies of blood near Ukraine’s border as part of the accumulation of medical supplies, troops and military equipment in the area.