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| US-Russia sanctions: Vladimir Putin says we will have to retaliate at some point | US-Russia sanctions: Vladimir Putin says we will have to retaliate at some point |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will have to "retaliate" against proposed new US sanctions that he has labelled "extremely cynical". | President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will have to "retaliate" against proposed new US sanctions that he has labelled "extremely cynical". |
| Mr Putin said would have to come "at some point," but would depend on the final text of the bill being discussed in the US Senate. | Mr Putin said would have to come "at some point," but would depend on the final text of the bill being discussed in the US Senate. |
| The bill, which passed the House by a wide margin this week, targets Russia for alleged interference in the recent US election. It also proposes sanctions on North Korea and Iran for their ballistic missile programmes. | |
| Mr Putin, speaking in Finland on Thursday, said the sanctions are "absolutely illegal from the point of view on international law". | Mr Putin, speaking in Finland on Thursday, said the sanctions are "absolutely illegal from the point of view on international law". |
| The Russian leader is not alone in his thinking. | The Russian leader is not alone in his thinking. |
| European Union chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker warned against passing the bill on Wednesday, saying: "‘America First’ cannot mean that Europe's interests come last." | European Union chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker warned against passing the bill on Wednesday, saying: "‘America First’ cannot mean that Europe's interests come last." |
| The bill would allow the US to sanction any company involved in Russia's energy export pipelines – a threat to the constructions of a natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany that boasts several European investors. | The bill would allow the US to sanction any company involved in Russia's energy export pipelines – a threat to the constructions of a natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany that boasts several European investors. |
| “If our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days," Mr Juckner said. | “If our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days," Mr Juckner said. |
| House and Senate leaders arrived at an agreement on the bill on Thursday, meaning it will likely be taken up by the Senate before their August recess. | |
| Mr Trump has not indicated whether or not he will veto the bill, which reduces his power to relieve sanctions on Russia. But the Senate has already passed a similar bill by a 98-2 margin – enough to override a presidential veto. | |
| "Passing the bill on a bipartisan basis will send a strong signal to the White House that the Kremlin needs to be held accountable for meddling in last year's election,” Senator Chuck Schumer said. | |
| Three US intelligence agencies have determined with "high confidence" that Russia endeavoured to influence the 2016 election through a combination of hacking and media messaging. The House, Senate and Justice Department are also investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to sway the election in their favour. | |
| Mr Trump has denied all allegations of collusion, and Mr Putin has denied any interference in the US election. | |
| On Thursday, the Russia President said investigations into Russian hacking were only a symptom of growing anti-Russian hysteria in the United States. |