Russian Foreign Ministry warns US against rash step to roll out new sanctions

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned Washington against a rash step in connection with the bill on the introduction of new sanctions against Russian officials.

Earlier in the day, the US House of Representatives' Rules Committee approved an amendment bill to the draft defense budget legislation that would recommend sanctions against a total of 35 Russian officials. In addition to civil servants, the sanctions list includes businessmen, top and senior officials at key energy companies and banks, as well as a few media personalities.

"We would like to once again warn Washington against a rash step on the 'sanctions track,'" the ministry said in a statement regarding amendments that would impose restrictions on a number of Russian statesmen and public figures.

"Each time it becomes more and more difficult to predict what kind of internal political exercises of anti-Russian orientation enthusiasts on Capitol Hill will undertake. Recently it became known about the next amendments suggesting the possibility of imposing restrictions on a number of Russian state and public figures under the controversial Magnitsky Act," it added.

The ministry suggested that everything happening in Washington was the result of an "acute staff shortage" in terms of experts on Russia.

"Only people who have no idea of Russian realities could compile such a list of persons in connection with a topic to which none of them has and cannot have either direct or indirect relation," the ministry emphasized.

(ANI)

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