MOSCOW, December 15 (Sputnik) — Russia should not fall for provocations whatever those might be, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
"We cannot fall for provocations, whatever they may be. We must remember that there are people beyond the border who are close to us in their spirit, culture and mentality. We will never stay indifferent to their fate," Medvedev said in his opinion piece in the Monday issue of Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper.
On Thursday, the US Senate passed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, imposing harsher sanctions against Moscow and authorizing President Barack Obama to provide lethal military assistance to Kiev. Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers issued a joint statement earlier this month vowing to strengthen alliance forces in Eastern Europe. Moscow called NATO's increased military presence near Russia's border a "mistake" and a "provocation" that undermines the entire European security system.
Over the last few months, the United States, European Union and its allies have imposed a series of restrictive measures against Russia, citing Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has denied these claims and called the language of sanctions counterproductive.
