Kremlin calls new U.S. sanctions ‘sad news’ for U.S.-Russia ties

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Proposed new U.S. sanctions against Russia are an extremely unfriendly act and sad news for Russia-U.S. relations and their further development, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to slap new sanctions on Russia and force President Donald Trump to obtain lawmakers’ permission before easing any sanctions on Moscow.

“The attitude to this (law) will be formed on the basis of a thorough analysis, and the decision (on how to respond) will certainly be taken by the head of state, President Putin,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told a conference call with reporters.

“Right now we can say that this is rather sad news from the point of view of Russia-U.S. ties and their further development. This is no less disheartening from the point of view of international law and international trade relations.

“But let’s now wait until it becomes a law.”