In its bid to impose more sanctions on Russia for its actions concerning Ukraine, the US Congress approved unanimously a new set of provisions over the country. Russia warned the West previously that if it pushes through with the bill then it will retaliate accordingly. There are now concerns about Russia's next move.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (C) chairs a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 12, 2014.
The sanctions cover lethal weapons and similar aid for Kiev. The passing of the bill goes against President Barrack Obama's stand. Previously, the president clarified that he does not want to push for additional sanctions unless the rest of Europe is on board with it.
According to Yahoo News, identical documents on the Ukraine Freedom Support Act were passed to the House of Representatives and Senate last December 11. However, due to some technical issues, the document needed to be returned to the Senate. The bill gained unanimous consent before the session was adjourned last Saturday. The decision now falls on Obama on whether he will veto or sign the measure. The White House did note that the office is reviewing it already.
The Russian administration was not happy with the move respondinly angrily. According to deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov (via Interfax): "Undoubtedly, we will not be able to leave this without a response."
Ryabkov accused "anti-Russian moods" in the US regarding the bill. The bill specifically aims on keeping Russia at bay including sanctions for the delivery of around $350 million (280 million euros') worth of military hardware to Ukraine.
NATO appears to be on the side of Western politicials as it declared plans on being more aggressive in response to the rising Russian aggression. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Philip Breedlove, told NBC News: "For the past 19 years, we have been trying to treat Russia as a partner, trying to bring the nations of Europe back together and now what we see is a very different kind of scenario."