White House: Russian sanctions on hold for now

The Trump administration did not announce new sanctions against Russia on Monday, a move promised Sunday by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Haley “misspoke” when she announced the sanctions prematurely on CBS’s Face the Nation. “We are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future,” Sanders said in a statement. Haley said the sanctions would help underscore U.S. disapproval over Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who allegedly used chemical weapons on civilians in the rebel-held town of Douma on April 7. On Friday, the United States, Britain, and France launched a retaliatory attack on Syrian chemical weapons facilities. The Trump administration imposed sanctions last month on two Russian entities tied to Syria as part of a sanctions package focused mostly on Russians involved in interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.