While Oleg Deripaska, who is close to Vladimir Putin and connected to Paul Manafort, personally remains under U.S. sanctions, the Trump administration has cleared the way to hand coveted sanctions relief to his companies next week.
Eleven Republicans joined Democratic Senators in an attempt Wednesday to keep sanctions in place, but that disapproval resolution fell short of the 60-vote threshold.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the U.S. cut a deal with Deripaska's companies that ensures, in exchange for sanctions relief, the oligarch relinquishes control and reduces his ownership stake to less than 50 percent. However, components of the deal, including that some of Deripaska's shares are going to Kremlin-connected VTB Bank, suggest the oligarch may not be sacrificing as much as it seems.
And, as The Daily Beast points out, the new man in charge of one of the companies – Rusal – is no better than Deripaska.
Jean-Pierre Thomas, the new chairman of Rusal’s board, previously advised former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. More recently, he helped launch a group pushing for international recognition that Russia’s occupation of Crimea is legal (it isn’t). Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the organization, which openly aims to get sanctions against Russia dropped.
“It’s a close case,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said on CNN Wednesday. “I can’t in good conscience vote to lift sanctions on Deripaska.”
In addition to Kennedy, Republicans who backed the effort included Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
CNN:
While the matter is dead in the Senate, the House still could opt to pass the resolution disapproving of the sanctions relief. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has introduced a parallel resolution that the House will consider on Thursday, the deadline for invoking congressional review of the sanctions move, according to a Democratic leadership aide.
Under a 2017 sanctions law, Congress has the authority to halt any decision by the Trump administration to weaken sanctions, providing lawmakers with a 30-day window to reject the plan.
NYT:
... Mr. Deripaska’s companies waged an aggressive lobbying and legal campaign against the sanctions last year. The administration first delayed putting sanctions on the companies into effect and then announced last month it would lift them entirely.
Senate Democrats' effort to block Trump move on Russia sanctions fails (CNN)
GOP blocks Senate rebuke of Trump on Russia sanctions (Politico)
Democrats Fall Short in Effort to Rebuke Administration on Russia Sanctions (NYT)
Deripaska’s Rusal Flouts Sanctions Pledge With New Kremlin Stooge (Daily Beast)
OFAC Notifies Congress of Intent to Delist En+, Rusal, and EuroSibEnergo (Treasury.gov)