Trump announced his unwillingness to tighten sanctions against Russia

US President Donald Trump said on June 16 that he did not want to tighten sanctions against Russia, as he hoped to reach an agreement on Ukraine. The American leader made the corresponding statement on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada.

This is how Trump answered a journalist's question about why he is not imposing new restrictions on Russia.

"I am waiting for the deal [on the settlement in Ukraine] to be signed. When I impose sanctions against any country, it costs the United States a lot of money, a lot of money... We are talking about billions of dollars," the head of the White House said.

He also added that he would be "very happy" if a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine could be reached.

Counter act: Russia will respond to the 18th package of EU sanctions

How can the Russian Federation react and how much will the European Union lose from the new restrictions

Earlier, on June 7, Bloomberg reported that the US Congress would not pass Graham's bill on new anti-Russian sanctions without the approval of American leader Donald Trump. According to the agency, the bill has about 80 co-authors, which is an "unheard-of" level of bipartisan support.