U.S. President Donald Trump says a bill imposing sanctions on Russia, North Korea and Iran is "seriously flawed" because it hinders his ability to negotiate. But Trump said "the bill remains seriously flawed — particularly because it encroaches on the executive branch's authority to negotiate." Moscow responded to the sanctions by ordering a reduction in the number of U.S. diplomats in Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he and Trump do not believe the new sanctions would "be helpful to our efforts" on diplomacy with Russia. Peskov added: "Without doubt, it's important that the president of the United States is thinking about the current state, and about the prospects for, bilateral relations."

Source: CBC News August 02, 2017 10:41 UTC