Washington, Aug. 7 -- A senior White House economic adviser has said it is up to negotiating teams -- not him -- to determine whether a new US sanctions bill targeting Russian oil buyers will affect trade talks with India.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, was responding to a question from ANI. He declined to elaborate, saying only that the question was "up to the negotiators."

The US Senate has moved a step closer to passing a bipartisan sanctions bill that could increase economic pressure on major buyers of Russian crude oil, including India and China. Senators voted 86-12 this week to clear an initial procedural hurdle for the legislation, formally called the Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and...