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Diplomat: Russia Sees No Reason to Discuss ‘Illegal’ US Sanctions

© RIA Novosti . Valery Melnikov / Go to the mediabankDeputy FM Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow sees no reason to negotiate “illegal” sanctions with the United States
Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow sees no reason to negotiate “illegal” sanctions with the United States - Sputnik International
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Moscow sees no reason to initiate negotiations with the United States on the “illegal” sanctions imposed on Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday.

MOSCOW, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow sees no reason to initiate negotiations with the United States on the "illegal" sanctions imposed on Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday.

"We … do not encourage any discussions with the US about sanctions. We see no topic for discussion here. We consider unilateral sanctions, imposed beyond territorial jurisdiction, to be illegal and in breach of the international law. So there is no reason to negotiate on these issues on any level. We are not going to do this," he told RIA Novosti in an interview.

"We will continue our course firmly and consistently. Sanctions or their absence will have no impact on what we did and will do in our relations with Kiev, on what we suggest and what we keep in mind while promoting stabilization in the southeast and the launch of internal political process in Ukraine," the Russian diplomat said, adding that Russia should "be ready for everything" in its relations with the United States.

Underlying the US current policy is "the intention to build up pressure before the dynamics of situation in Ukraine changes," Ryabkov stated. The diplomat criticized the US political line that fails to correspond to reality. "I have grave doubts that Washington officials formulating policy toward Russia and Ukraine perceive the reality adequately," Ryabkov said, adding that he hopes such "political surrealism" will not dominate.

Ryabkov also noted that the US administration has managed to demolish "the efficient working mechanism" that Russia and the United States managed to set up in the recent past.

A new round of Western sanctions against Moscow over its alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis came into force on September 12. The sanctions complicate access to EU and US credit for a number of key Russian banks and oil and defense companies and ban the provision of technical and other assistance to Russian oil companies.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, calling sanctions an ineffective tool, which threatens international peace and stability and contradicts international law.

Moscow Hopes For ‘Businesslike’ Cooperation With New US Ambassador

Despite the current chill in Russian-US relations, Moscow expects that new US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft will demonstrate a businesslike approach, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti Tuesday.

"It's too early to make conclusions about his arrival to Moscow," Ryabkov said.

"But my first impression is that it is possible to work [in a] businesslike atmosphere, and we hope this is how it will be," the minister added.

"The channels for communication and the discussion of the issues, which the sides currently face, should not be cut off, although the US administration has, in recent times, done a lot from the perspective of a breakdown in the effective cooperation mechanism that we had in recent past," Ryabkov noted.

On September 8, Ryabkov met with Tefft, who presented copies of his diplomatic credentials. According to Ryabkov, the two discussed "some current issues, not related to any future plans."

The US State Department officially appointed John Tefft as the new head of the US diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation in late June, 2014.

On July 9, the Kremlin formally approved his appointment.

On September 2, the US Secretary of State John Kerry administered an oath on Tefft in Washington DC, officially making him the new US envoy to Russia.

Tefft was nominated to replace Michael McFaul, who announced his return to the United States on February 4.

John Tefft worked as the head of the US State Department's office on the Soviet Union in 1989-1992. From 1996 to 1999 Tefft served as the deputy head of the US diplomatic mission in Russia. He then went on to head US embassies in Lithuania, Georgia and Ukraine.

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