WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Monday it would not immediately impose additional sanctions on Russia, despite a new law designed to punish Moscows alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, insisting the measure was already hitting Russian companies.

Today, we have informed Congress that this legislation and its implementation are deterring Russian defense sales, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. Since the enactment of the ... legislation, we estimate that foreign governments have abandoned planned or announced purchases of several billion dollars in Russian defense acquisitions.

Seeking to press President Donald Trump to clamp down on Russia, the U.S. Congress voted nearly unanimously last year to pass a law setting sweeping new sanctions on Moscow.