U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 31, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday called the Russia sanctions legislation he signed into law “significantly flawed” and urged Congress to not use the measure to hinder U.S. efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict with its European allies.

“While I favor tough measures to punish and deter aggressive and destabilizing behavior by Iran, North Korea, and Russia, this legislation is significantly flawed,” the Republican president said in a statement. “In its haste to pass this legislation, the Congress included a number of clearly unconstitutional provisions.”