A combination of two photos shows U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive for the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo)
TBILISI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will sign the sanctions bill on Russia this week, visiting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said here on Tuesday at a press conference with Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
The sactions bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 98-2 on Thursday, targets Russia for its alleged intervention in Ukraine and meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied in public.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday hit back at the sanctions by demanding the United States cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 people, regarded as Moscow's most aggressive move against Washington since the final years of the Cold War.
When commenting the recent US-Russian relations, Pence said that the new sanctions bill toward Russia that President Trump will sign this week will be a clear message to all allies that US will do exactly what it has said.
Pence arrived here late Monday for a two-day visit, which will be followed by a trip to Montenegro, the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.