Over Dozen Major US Companies Rise Against New Anti-Russia Sanctions in Congress

More than a dozen major US companies have been opposing the new anti-Russia sanctions and pushing for changes to the current bill in their meetings with the congressional staff over the last few days, CNN reported.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Oil, energy, banking, aerospace and auto firms have reportedly been conveying their concerns about the consequences of the bill for their businesses, and urging changes to the legislation.

BP, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Boeing and Citigroup, MasterCard and Visa are among the companies lobbying against the sanctions, according to the media outlet.

On June 15, the US Senate approved new sanctions against Russia in connection to its alleged meddling in the US presidential election in 2016. In particular, they are supposed to limit the financing period for sanctioned Russian banks to 14 days, and for sanctioned oil and gas sector companies to 30 days.

The bill also presupposes the possibility of sanctions against persons who intend to invest more than $5 million per year or $1 million at a time in the construction of Russian export pipelines or provide projects with services, technology and information support.

The bill, which is yet to be approved by both the House of Representatives and the administration of US President Donald Trump, has also prompted criticism within the European Union.

On June 15, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern condemned the draft of new US sanctions, which, they said, were about "selling American liquefied natural gas and ending the supply of Russian natural gas to the European market."

Russian officials have repeatedly denied allegations that Moscow's meddling in the US election.