MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union’s new sanctions targeting 15 Russian and Ukrainian individuals cannot help but cause rejection, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
“The approval by the European Union of a new portion of sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian citizens cannot but cause rejections,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Instead of making the Kiev clique sit at the negotiations table with southeastern Ukraine on the future structure of the country, our partners are going along with Washington with newer and newer unfriendly gestures toward Russia,” the ministry said.
The actions by Brussels bear witness to the fact that there is “a full misunderstanding of the domestic political situation” in Ukraine, the statement added.
On Monday, the United States imposed sanctions, including asset freezes and visa bans, against 7 Russian individuals and 17 Russian companies allegedly linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle.”
The European Union followed the US move on Tuesday, announcing sanctions on 15 additional Russian and Ukrainian officials. Most of those listed in the EU sanctions expanded on the US list.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that talking in the language of sanctions is “inappropriate and counterproductive” and warned its Western partners about the “boomerang effect” that sanctions would have.
