US Senate postpones Russia sanctions bill

The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will not take up a Russia sanctions bill anytime soon.

Committee Chairman Bob Corker of Tennessee and ranking Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland have agreed to move forward on a measure to counter Russian influence in Eastern Europe without using sanctions, Politico reported.

“We're not going to do a Russia sanctions bill. We're going to do an Iran sanctions bill. We're also working together on a bill to push back against Russia in Europe and what they're doing, and those are the two courses of action that we're taking," Corker said.

Marco Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations panel, indicated he was unhappy with the decision to table the Russia sanctions measure for now.

“I think anytime is a good time for Russia sanctions given everything they've done,” Rubio said.