White House tries to water down Russia sanctions

Donald Trump is pressuring a US senator to weaken a Bill that would impose sweeping sanctions on Russia .

White House officials hoping to mend relations with Moscow have been quietly contacting senator Lindsey Graham’s office urging him to water down his Bill, which aims to cripple Vladimir Putin with huge sanctions.

The Bill, backed by nearly the entire Senate, would impose 500 per cent tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas , which bankrolls Putin’s war effort.

Officials have been demanding the Bill include waivers that would allow Mr Trump to choose who or what was sanctioned, congressional aides told the Wall Street Journal.

Other attempts to weaken the legislation include softening the language, replacing “shall” with “may” to avoid making the reprimand