US Senate Committee Backs New Sanctions Against Russia, Calls 'Sanctions From Hell'

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the DASKA bill on new sanctions against Russia by a vote of 17 to 5, which its authors themselves described as “sanctions from hell” due to their severity.

The package includes restrictions on banks that facilitated “Russian government interference in democratic processes in other countries,” a ban on American companies participating in Russian oil projects, a ban on transactions involving new Russian sovereign debt for periods longer than 14 days, and sanctions against investments in Russian liquefied natural gas projects.

The committee's approval means the bill will now go to the full Senate for consideration. It is unclear how long that consideration will take.

• The bill was introduced to the Senate in February 2019, but has remained dormant since then. A similar document was introduced in 2018, but ultimately failed to pass.