Trump: 'No guarantee' on Russia relations

US President Donald Trump has said he wants a 
"great relationship" with Russia, but would not say if 
he would lift US sanctions against the country.

Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak 
on Saturday, according to the White House and Kremlin.

They are expected to discuss bilateral affairs and 
national security in the first call since the inauguration.

But Mr Trump said it was "very early" to talk about 
the sanctions imposed on the country by his predecessor.

He was asked about his plans in a joint press conference
 with UK Prime Minister Theresa May on her 
visit to Washington - the first national leader to be 
welcomed by the president.

"We will see what happens," said Mr Trump. "We look to 
have a great relationship with all countries, ideally. 
That won't necessary happen, unfortunately, [and it] 
probably won't happen with many countries.

"But if we could have [a relationship] as we do with
 Prime Minister May… if we can have a great relationship
 with Russia and with China and with all countries, I am 
all for that.

"That would be a tremendous asset. No guarantees, but 
if we can, that would be a positive, not a negative."

Mrs May said the UK had been "very clear" that 
sanctions should remain in place until the Minsk 
agreement, stopping the war between Russia and
 Ukraine, had been fully implemented.

Republicans have expressed opposition to any softer 
White House line against Moscow.

Senator John McCain - a vocal critic of Mr Putin, who 
has called him a "thug" - said that it would be a
"reckless course" and he would pursue legislation
 to enforce the sanctions.

And two of the party's key political leaders have 
warned against dropping the sanctions, in interviews
 with Politico magazine.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, 
told the publication : "These sanctions were imposed 
because of their behaviour in Crimea, eastern Ukraine
 and now we know you've been messing around in
 our elections as well."

"If there's any country in the world that doesn't
 deserve sanctions relief, it's Russia," he said.

Republican Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, also said
 "I think they should stay," adding that the measures had
 been "overdue"when implemented.

Donald Trump's planned phone conversation with 
President Vladimir Putin could lay the groundwork 
for a rollback of US sanctions on Russia.

There are reports that a presidential order undoing 
Barack Obama's executive actions has already been
 drafted.

If this ends up being the case, it would likely ignite a
 battle between the administration and a bipartisan 
coalition in Congress.

While Republican Capitol Hill leadership may be loath to
 pick a fight with Mr Trump so early in his presidency, 
anti-Russia hawks in the Senate - led by Republican 
Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham - may find common cause with the body's Democratic minority.

Together they could push legislation that enshrine
 the administration-imposed sanctions into law, much
 the way Congress solidified Bush-era anti-Iran 
measures during Mr Obama's presidency.

Mr Trump has been bedevilled by criticisms that he
 has too close a relationship with Mr Putin, inflamed
 by intelligence reports of Russian meddling in the US
 election and an ongoing investigation into ties
 between Russia and former Trump campaign aides.

While the new president may see sanction-removal as
 the first step in forging closer ties with a former 
adversary, the move could come with at a high 
political price.


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the phone 
call between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, but said it was 
unlikely to result in any specific agreements.

But Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told media
 on Friday that removing US sanctions on Russia 
was "under consideration".

"I assume they will discuss, in the interests of their 
respective countries, how to come together and work 
together on issues where you can find common 
ground and where these two Nations could maybe 
defeat radical Islamic terrorism," she also told AP.

The president has vowed to strengthen relations 
with the Kremlin despite allegations from the US
 intelligence community that Russia tried to interfere
 in the US presidential election to benefit Mr Trump.

As a result, President Barack Obama issued a new 
round of sanctions against Russia and expelled 35 
Russian diplomats for Moscow's alleged election
-related cyber attacks.

The Kremlin has vehemently denied any allegations that
 it had co- ordinated hacks during the US election.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump suggested he would 
ease sanctions on Moscow imposed by the Obama administration if Russia helped in the battle against 
terrorism.

Mr Trump will also speak to German Chancellor Angela
 Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on
 Saturday.

US and European Union (EU) sanctions were already
 in place after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea 
and last month, the EU extended them.