; Whereas a statement on January 29, 2018, from the Department of State asserted that several billion dollars in defense sector transactions with the Government of the Russian Federation or entities affiliated with that Government had been deterred through United States diplomacy and indicated that sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the [Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act] legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent, ; and Whereas the deterrent value of sanctions is derived from the perception by potential targets that the threat of imposing such sanctions is genuine: Now, therefore, be it