New US Anti-Russian Sanctions: 'Repercussion of Internal US Political Struggle'

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced sanctions against some 40 individuals and entities over their alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, including several top Crimean officials, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Cooperation with Organizations Representing Russians Living Abroad Alexander Babakov, PMC Wagner (a private military company), three banks operating in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and six banks operating in Crimea.

Commenting on the issue, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that that "Russophobic obsession" in the United States has gone "beyond all bounds," adding that the new punitive measures will not "improve the atmosphere" in the relations between the powers.

Sputnik Radio sat down with Sergei Ordzhonikidze, a veteran Russian diplomat, who said that the new US sanctions won't have a serious impact on the Russian economy.

"I think that the sanctions, which the US administration wants to introduce against Russia, will only lead to a deterioration of relations between the two countries. We have not expected that they will go that far in their eagerness to hit Russia's economy. However I think that no matter how hard they sanction Russia's economy, it will be able to endure it," he told Sputnik.

There is absolutely no reason, he said, for the Americans to think that the laws they try to impose on the whole world will do any damage to the Russian economy.

The former diplomat further elaborated that the new punitive US measures will hit its European allies far harder than Russia.

"The US does a disservice to its allies, as it extends the impact of the sanctions on its European allies, for example, on Germany and the Nord Stream 2 project. It means that Germany won't be able to set up any beneficial relations with Russia. The US seems to be acting under the principle that "those who are not with us are against us." However it turns out that their allies are also against them. An absurd nonsense," he said.

Sergei Ordzhonikidze further commented on the relations between Russia and the US, saying that there is no open Cold War between the two countries. The US has invaded Syria, he said, even though nobody invited it there, however there is no direct bilateral confrontation between Russia and the US over the issue.

"I think it is the repercussion of an internal US political struggle, which keeps everyone in suspense," he suggested.

"They have already introduced all possible sanctions, but Russia is still alive. What is more dangerous is that for the first time since the end of the Second World War we are witnessing internal political instability in a nuclear power. This is dangerous for the whole world. All the instability and aggressive remarks keep the whole world in suspense," he finally stated.