Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin signaled he won’t back down from plans to lift sanctions on three companies tied to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin even as he said the Trump administration would consider delaying the move to accommodate concerns raised by lawmakers. Mnuchin denied the action was intended to help the Kremlin, telling reporters Thursday after a closed briefing with lawmakers that the Treasury Department’s decision to lift restrictions on companies tied to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska are “not politically motivated.” The companies play a major role in the aluminum markets.
