29 April 2017, 16:27 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — An omnibus spending bill for this fiscal year allows the Trump administration to waive the Obama-era ban on trade with Russia’s state arms exporter for national security reasons.
The $1.1-trillion spending bill has been approved by both houses of the US Congress. It will fund the work of the federal government through September.
"The Secretary of Defense may waive the limitation… if the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, determines that it is in the vital national security interest of the United States to do so," the draft reads.
The United States imposed sanctions on Rosoboronexport in September 2015 for trading with Syria and Iran. It prohibited the Pentagon chief from using budget funds to enter into contract or cooperative agreements, make grants or provide loans to Rosoboronexport and its subsidiaries.
