'Russia ready to respond to US sanctions'

(Baonghean.vn) - Russia will take "retaliatory" measures to the US sanctions. And those will certainly be "painful blows" for Washington - stated Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryakov at the Duma meeting on October 20..

US-Russia relations are becoming increasingly tense (photo: Internet)

According to Mr. Ryakov, currently on the US sanctions list are 281 Russian legal entities and 81 senior representatives of government departments. The Deputy Minister affirmed that if the US “goes against the normal spirit of friendship” and continues to expand sanctions against Russia, Russia is always capable of coming up with “proportionate” ways of responding.

Russia's "response" will hit the US's position in the international arena and its policies towards Russia in particular, and towards Europe in general," the Deputy Minister emphasized.

Responding to opinions that Moscow's previous responses to Washington were not strong and effective enough because there are no personal American accounts in Russia, Mr. Ryakov said, "In fact, there are a lot of personal American assets in Russia. And soon they will be subject to measures that are twice as strong."

Regarding the suspension of the agreement with the US on plutonium disposal, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister noted that the US and its European allies have made Russia open to the possibility of restoring this agreement on the condition that it is implemented fairly, the US must abandon its hostile policy in relations with Russia, and lift sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals.

Mr. Ryakov affirmed: “The US policies against Russia are completely wrong, and the US will regret this.”

On October 19, the Russian State Duma, with a majority vote - 445 deputies, approved the law suspending the plutonium disposal agreement with the US signed in 2000.

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(According to Ria)