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Trump to Sign Bill Imposing New Sanctions on Russia, White House Says

President Donald Trump intends to sign a bill passed overwhelmingly in Congress this week that would impose new sanctions against Russia, the White House said.
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President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office of the White House on July 25.Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

President Donald Trump intends to sign a bill passed by Congress this week that would impose new sanctions on Russia, the White House said Friday.

The bill was passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and House by veto-proof margins. It passed in the Senate on Thursday 98-2 and in the House on Tuesday by 419-3.

The bill targets Russia's aggression in Ukraine and Syria, citing corruption, human rights abuses and weapons sales. The bill would also add sanctions against North Korea and Iran. The measure also includes a provision that would limit Trump's authority to lift the sanctions unilaterally.

The White House said in a statement that Trump has reviewed the final version of the bill and "approves the bill and intends to sign it."

"President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bill and negotiated regarding critical elements of it," the White House statement said. "He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it."

Related: Russia Retaliates for U.S. Election Sanctions

The lopsided votes in the House and Senate suggest Congress would have had the votes to override any veto. Congress would have needed two-thirds' votes in both chambers. The White House had not said that Trump had considered a veto, but White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci had left open the possibility in an appearance on CNN Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week objected to the proposed sanctions. Putin called the proposed sanctions "an obvious attempt to use geopolitical advantages in competition to pursue [the United States'] economic interests at the expense of its allies," according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The European Union also raised concerns about the new sanctions bill, saying the Russia sanctions could harm European businesses which could be subject to penalties for doing business with Moscow.

Related: The Quiet Russian House at the Heart of a Loud Diplomatic Dispute

"The U.S. bill could have unintended unilateral effects that impact the EU's energy security interests," EU President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a statement Thursday, adding: "New sanctions should always be coordinated between allies."

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Russia has denied the accusations.