As oil prices continue their slow uphill climb and the global energy community reenters exploration mode, the Russian economy has much to gain from new American leadership that seems lenient on oil sector sanctions. On Tuesday, Representative Charlie Dent from Pennsylvania became the fourth Republican lawmaker to back a bill limiting newly inaugurated President Donald Trump’s ability to pull back sanctions against Russia. The legislation would require Trump to seek congressional approval before reducing or removing the punitive measures that are currently in place to punish Moscow for its support of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s murderous regime, the forced annexation of Crimea and now also for organized cyberattacks against American institutions in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential elections. “ In order to modify these imposed sanctions, the President would need to certify to Congress that the government of Russia has stopped the activities that warranted […]