WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier on Wednesday, Russia announced it had canceled the Ryabkov-Shannon consultations scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg on June 23 after the United States expanded anti-Russian sanctions on Tuesday.
"I think, the cancellation of the officials' meeting is it a logical response from one country to any offensive action, because any restriction has a negative connotation," Karlov said at the Arctic Circle Forum in Washington, DC on Wednesday. "Moreover, we know that these restrictive measures apply to specific individuals and entities."
On June 20, the US Department of the Treasury introduced sanctions against 38 individuals and entities over their alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Russia has consistently denied the allegations of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs and pointed out that the policy of sanctions is counterproductive as well a can destabilize the region and the world.
