News / Russia

Russia mulls counter-measures over US sanctions

Tuesday, 22 December 2015 6:59 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 22 December 2015 6:59 PM ]

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (AFP photo)

Russia will consider counter-measures in response to Washington's announcement of updated sanctions on more than two dozen Russian individuals and entities, officials in Moscow say.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that it will analyze Washington’s updated list of sanctions on Russia, which was published earlier in the day, adding that Moscow is pondering countermeasures.

The US Treasury Department claimed in a statement that the updated sanctions are in line with the US commitment to seeking a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Ukraine.

Peskov said, however, that the sanctions amount to “a continuation of this unfriendly stance towards Russia, a continuation of the stance which has a devastating impact on bilateral relations.”
“Certainly, based on the reciprocity principle, the Russian side will initially review these decisions taken [by the US] and then pool proposals on possible countermeasures,” he added.

Moscow and Washington have been at odds over the issue of Ukraine since crisis began in the east of the country last year. The US accuses Russia of having a major hand in the conflict, which has killed more than 6,000 people. Russia denies any involvement, saying, however, that it will continue to support the ethnic Russian population in Ukraine.

The updated list includes, the US said, 14 individuals and entities that have engaged in "evasion of existing US sanctions," six pro-Russia officials in Ukraine, two former Ukrainian government officials and also 12 entities operating in Crimea, a former Ukrainian peninsula which later joined Russia.

In response to previous sanctions by the US and its Western allies, Moscow has also imposed its own bans, including those on the import of agricultural products from some European countries.

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