MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian news agencies reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump's administration had informed the Russian embassy in Washington that the United States had no immediate plans to impose new sanctions.
"I can confirm that the United States has informed the Russian embassy that there will be no new sanctions for now," TASS cited a source in the Russian foreign ministry as saying. Interfax news agency published a similar quote.

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WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has hit back at the White House, rejecting a top adviser’s claim that she was confused by saying President Donald Trump would impose new sanctions on Russia.
Haley had told CBS News on Sunday that "Russia sanctions will be coming down,” noting, Treasury "Secretary (Steven) Mnuchin will be announcing those on Monday if he hasn't already.”
However on Monday, the White House denied the imposition of any new sanctions, with its economic adviser Larry Kudlow saying a day after that Haley "got ahead of the curve," and that "there might have been some momentary confusion about that.”
Haley hit back with a stunning statement, saying, "With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”

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WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush died Tuesday at the age of 92. Barbara and George H.W. Bush were married for 73 years, and the widower "of course is heart-broken to lose his beloved Barbara," his chief of staff Jean Becker said in a statement.
Funeral arrangements were due to be announced soon for Barbara Bush, who was also survived by five of her children and their spouses, 17 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and her brother, Scott Pierce.
She was preceded in death by her second child, Robin, who died of leukemia as a toddler.
Bush has long been considered the rock at the center of one of America's most prominent political families, as the wife of a president and the mother to another -- George W. Bush -- and to Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor and onetime presidential aspirant.

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ATHENS (AFP) -- Greece's top administrative court has ruled that asylum seekers should be allowed to move freely around the country, a move that could alleviate pressure on overcrowded island refugee camps.
A justice source on Wednesday said the Council of State ruling only applies to asylum seekers who arrive from now on, and is not applicable to over 15,000 people already on the islands.
Chronic overcrowding in island camps where migrants can spend months after landing until their asylum claims can be processed has often led to protests and outbreaks of violence.
On Tuesday, hundreds of Afghan migrants demonstrated on Lesbos island over the fate of one of their fellow nationals, who was recently hospitalized with a heart ailment.
The Greek government is keen to reduce tension on the eastern Aegean islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos, especially as the busy tourist season is about to begin.
Local authorities have long protested to Athens over the issue, and have blocked state efforts to expand capacity in the camps in retaliation.
 
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BERLIN (AFP) -- The discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb will force a mass evacuation around Berlin's central railway station Friday, covering several government ministries and a hospital, police said.
Buildings and streets in a radius of 800 meters (875 yards) around the site north of the busy train station will be cleared from 0700 GMT until the 500-kilogramme (1,100-pound) explosive is safely defused, they said on Twitter Wednesday.
The evacuation zone covers the central railway station, the economy and transport ministries, an army hospital and the embassies of Indonesia and Uzbekistan, a police spokesman told AFP.
Police said it was not yet clear how many thousands of people would be affected but predicted to local media that "it will be big, it will be a major hassle".
The Deutsche Bahn rail company and urban transport operators prepared for large-scale disruptions around the central hub for trains, trams and buses.
The bomb, which was discovered during construction work on Heidestrasse in the district of Mitte, was "safe for now", police said, reassuring nearby residents that "there is no immediate danger".
Allied planes blasted Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and vast urban and industrial areas remain littered with unexploded bombs and other ordnance often found during construction projects.
 
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YEREVAN (Dispatches) -- Tens of thousands of people in Armenia took to the streets in the capital Wednesday to protest the election by the parliament of former president Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister.
The rally was led by opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan, with protesters chanting "Armenia without Serzh!” as they blocked major streets and bridges.
"We must not allow Armenia’s transformation into an autocratic country where the same man remains in power for an indefinite time,” said one protester.
Sargsyan "lied to Armenians and broke his earlier promise not to become prime minister after his presidential term expires,” said another protester.
A crowd also amassed outside Sargsyan’s residence earlier in the day. Dozens of protesters have so far been detained and charged by the police, and several dozen others have been wounded in clashes with security forces.
People have been protesting over the matter in Yerevan since Friday. The parliament, however, elected Sargsyan as the new prime minister on Tuesday, sparking the largest protest in the country in years: the one on Wednesday.