The US state structures have extended the anti-Russian sanctions. Moscow doesn’t see any reasonable logic in the steps. President Vladimir Putin has already promised to respond to the US sanctions by development of economic ties with other countries, stating about plans on consultations between the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN about establishing a possible economic space. Putin asked representatives of business circles of Russia to prepare suggestions on the configuration of the cooperation and goals of such a union. “Our response to foreign restrictions is extending freedom of business, protecting property and the rights of all people who honestly work and do their business. We intend to improve the activities of the law-enforcement agencies, investigative bodies and courts. And, of course, to extend the opportunities for Russian business we will actively develop economic ties with other countries and participate in the integration processes,” the President said.
Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Printing Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, says that “the new restrictions were introduced almost immediately after talks in Moscow with the US Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry, during which ways of cooperating in solving the most pressing international and regional problems were discussed, particularly Ukraine. That is, on the one hand, we are looking for ways out of the Ukrainian crisis along with the Americans, this means a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, on the other hand, there are measures taken to punish the Russian Federation. Moreover, the resolutions were adopted unanimously, with full consensus, worked out in coordination with our American colleagues on the UN Security Council resolution on Syria in support of the Vienna process. This, of course, is a specific understanding of collaboration or cooperation with Russia in the international arena. And it is not a coincidence that the US administration took these steps with the entry into force of the decision of Brussels on the extension of the EU sanctions.”
An additional argument in favor of the fact that the current US administration “has no logical thinking” in this direction, according to Zakharova, is the process of implementing the Minsk Agreement: “The process is in progress, everyone talks about this. But the most interesting thing is that the new list of sanctions includes the representative of the LPR in the negotiations with Ukraine, Mr. Danego. Why are you complicating the lives of those on whom the promotion and implementation of the Minsk agreements depends in practice?”
The Russian Foreign Ministry is sure that the administration of Barack Obama seeks to somehow compensate for this inefficiency at the expense of further progress in this absurd way: “I honestly do not understand why the American side is not satisfied with such figures on the restrictions list as the Yalta Film Studio? Even more difficult to understand is what, for example, the Azov distillery along with the plant of sparkling wines ‘Noviy Svet’ did wrong to the administration of Barack Obama?” Zakharova asked.
“We were also asked about the reaction of the Russian side to such actions of Washington. You know, of course, there will be an answer. We will find something original for our American colleagues,” Maria Zakharova promised.