MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow thinks the United States and the European Union will continue sanctioning Russia, but does not believe they will accomplish their goals, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told International News Agency Rossiya Segodnya.
“Apparently, they will not achieve the goals they are striving to achieve with these sanctions. More than that, they will reduce the chances of cooperating in other fields that might be of interest to them, because [the sanctioning] cannot go on without repercussions,” the deputy foreign minister said.
“We are not displaying hostile behavior either toward the United States or the European Union or Canada, or even Ukraine for that matter. And yet, the process of imposing sanctions shows no sign of slowing down, and no attempts have been made to look at it from a different perspective,” Ryabkov added.
“There is a real danger – that should not be neglected – that this sanctions ‘itch’ will not stop here. They will scratch it until it bleeds,” Ryabkov noted. The diplomat said the sanctions disregard international rights.
Ryabkov went on to say that Russia could experience negative effects from the sanctions, imposed by the United States, EU members and Canada, which is manifest in the increasing costs of economic activity. At the same time, it would be painful for all those imposing the sanctions to lift them.
Both the European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions against certain Russian individuals and companies over the crisis in Ukraine, freezing their assets, banning visas and hindering their financial activity.
