Russia expects the United States to impose new sanctions, said on Saturday, February 5, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov.
According to him, all US senators agree that new restrictions should be introduced against Russia. However, Antonov stressed, so far the US Congress has not come to a consensus on their scope and timing.
“Sanctions [со стороны США] we expect. Today it is difficult to say what they will be. The swearing is only about who is stronger, who will hit Russia harder, ”Antonov said on the air of the Solovyov Live YouTube channel.
At the same time, Antonov said that he did not believe that Washington was ready to completely break off dialogue with Moscow. According to the diplomat, the Americans are calculating, trying to stay afloat.
“And, frankly, I don’t believe that the Americans are ready to bring down all relations. They believe, it seems to me, that we will not go to the end, ”he said.
Earlier, on January 31, it became known that this week the US Senate could agree on a new package of anti-Russian sanctions. It was noted that American legislators have not yet come to a consensus on whether it is worth introducing restrictive measures against the Russian Federation in a preventive manner.
According to Peter Harrell, a member of the National Security Council (NSC), the restrictions imposed on Russian financial institutions are aimed at capital flight and inflation. They should also force the Central Bank of Russia to provide financial assistance to other banks so that the country’s President Vladimir Putin “felt the costs from the first day.”
On January 25, the United States announced that American financial sanctions against the Russian Federation in the event of an “invasion of Ukraine” would be tougher than in 2014, when the ruble fell by 50%. In addition, the White House warned about the preparation against Russia of restrictions on the supply of complex technologies in addition to financial restrictions.
On the same day, US President Joe Biden said that he did not exclude the imposition of personal sanctions against the President of the Russian Federation in the event of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The next day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki noted that Washington was not giving up any options when considering possible sanctions against Russia.
In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov drew attention to the fact that US calls for sanctions against the Russian leader are politically destructive.
In recent weeks, Western politicians and members of the media have been spreading numerous speculations about possible Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Russian side has repeatedly denied such statements. Moscow emphasized that it was not hatching plans for an “invasion” of Ukraine, and that all measures for the combat training of troops were carried out within Russian territory.
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