The U.S. Senate plans to pass a new sanctions bill against Russia before the August recess.

The majority leader of the U.S. Senate, John Thune, stated that he "hopes" the Senate will pass a bipartisan proposal introduced by President Trump's ally Senator Lindsey Graham to implement harsh sanctions against Russia before the Senate recess in August. Following Trump's criticism of Putin's intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities this week, Senate Republicans are feeling more confident about passing legislation to sanction Russia this month. Thune remarked, "It is clear that there is a lot of bipartisan support in the Senate. I think the House is the same, at least I hope so." "Whether this will happen in the coming weeks is an open question, but I hope it will."