Kremlin on Trump Veto on US Sanctions Bill: 'I'm Not Talking About Any Hope'

It is premature for the Kremlin to respond to the sanctions bill that US lawmakers passed this week because it is not yet a law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Asked by a journalist whether Moscow has hope that the bill, which the House of Representatives passed on Tuesday, would be stalled in the Senate or be vetoed by President Donald Trump, he said: "You probably do, I am not talking about any hope."

"There is no reaction yet because there is no formalized decision, there is no law, why react to the bill? We will react when there is a law," Peskov told reporters.

The spokesman stressed that it was to early to pass judgments on the issue.

"I'm not going to announce anything yet, but we'll see. In any case, the process of approval continues, so when it is finalized, then it will be possible to formulate some evaluation," Peskov said responding to a question whether Russia would react to the bill.

At the same time, the spokesman refused to answer the question whether there were areas in which Russia could respond to the sanctions without harming the economy.

The US House of Representatives approved by a 419-3 vote on Tuesday a new version of a bill that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, and limit President Donald Trump’s ability to lift the restrictions on Moscow. The measures target Russia's defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies.

The bill, which is yet to be approved by the Senate and the administration of US President Donald Trump, has already prompted criticism within the European Union. France and Germany have so far spoken out against the bill that the US House passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday as one that adversely affects European industries while advancing US commercial interests.