Two Senate committees will be digging into the matter of what President Trump may have promised in his one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland last week and what additional sanctions may be imposed on Russia to deter further aggression.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Tuesday that he tasked the chairmen of the Senate committees, Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), to “recommend to the Senate additional measures that could respond to or deter Russian malign behavior.”
The hearings will begin Wednesday when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testifies before the Foreign Relations panel about what was discussed between Trump and Putin during a two-hour private meeting last week.
“I most want to know what President Trump committed to President Putin at the Helsinki conference in the two hours about which we know very little except what Russia is selectively leaking or characterizing,” said Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
From the press release:
“We worked closely together to write the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which substantially expanded sanctions on Russia and overwhelmingly passed both the Senate and House last summer, and are eager to continue the important work being done by our committees to push back on Russia,” said Corker and Crapo.
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The first hearing, convened by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is titled “An Update on American Diplomacy to Advance Our National Security Strategy” and is scheduled for Wednesday, July 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is planning to hold hearings on:
- the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
- the broad challenges ahead for U.S. policy toward Russia;
- Russia’s current activities in Syria; and
- arms control issues, including Russian violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF Treaty).
The Senate Banking Committee is planning to hold hearings on:
- the implementation of CAATSA and the impact of sanctions; and
- what other tools can be used beyond CAATSA, if any, to further deter Russia.
Senate unveils series of hearings on Russia (The Hill)
SENATE COMMITTEES ANNOUNCE SERIES OF HEARINGS ON RUSSIA (press release)