Russia to offer strong, measured and sensitive response to US sanctions

Russia will offer a strong response to US sanctions, if not necessarily tit-for-tat, but a measured and sensitive one for Washington, country's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"There should be no doubt - sanctions will be met with a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but measured and sensitive for the US side," said a Moscow statement following new US anti-Russian sanctions. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that the package of sanctions declared by the US administration (already the 101th one), targeting the financial sector with the extension of the blacklist of individuals, subject to personal restrictions, is part and parcel of Washington's endless attempts to change Russia's policy, reports TASS.

"Despite clearly futile efforts made for many years with the goal of hindering our economic development, the US is again grasping the restrictions tools, which are ineffective and counterproductive in terms of US interests as well," the Foreign Ministry stressed.

According to the ministry, Russia proved that despite all sanctions it is capable of reducing the damage. "And moreover, the sanctions pressure cannot affect our determination to strongly defend our interests," the statement reads.

Washington, which is under the sway of unipolar world stereotypes with false convictions that the US still has the right and can impose its own rules of the world order on everyone, has no other means in its foreign policy arsenals than blackmail, intimidation and threats. "This isn't working in regard to world powers, namely Russia and other key international actors," the Foreign Ministry stated. "'Slapdowns' from the US should be followed by their satellites and clients who completely lost their autonomy."

Meanwhile, the ministry noted that Russia is "open to diplomacy based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and the consideration for each other's interests.".