Russia considers retaliatory sanctions against the US

Tensions between Moscow and Washington increase as the Kremlin considers retaliatory measures over US sanctions on Russia.

On Wednesday, Russia said that it considers retaliatory measures and sanctions against Washington in response to a planned round of fresh U.S. sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

“It goes without saying that the main principle of reacting to sanctions is reciprocity,” Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov informed reporters.

“At our experts’ level, naturally, different variants (of Russian) sanctions are now being formulated and proposed.”

Sanctions is Washington’s response to Russia’s occupation and annexation of Ukrainian Crimea. The international community has overwhelmingly rejected Moscow’s claims to the contested semi-peninsula following a disputed Crimean referendum.

Peskov did not specify whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would refuse to meet President Donald Trump at the upcoming G-20 conference, scheduled to be held in Hamburg on July 7-8.

“It’s a possibility,” Kremlin’s Press Secretary said. “Nothing has been decided yet.”

Ahead of the G-20 conference, Trump is scheduled to visit Poland and meet with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło and Polish President Andrzej Duda. The U.S. president is expected to stress the American commitment to NATO and the protection of Poland and other Eastern European former Communist states from Russia.

Poland has a long history of mutual animosity with Moscow. Today Poland is one of Washington’s staunchest European allies, supporting a tougher line against its large eastern neighbor, which it regards as a threat.

By: Daniel Krygier, World Israel News

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