The US Senate approved a bill in a 98-2 vote on Thursday to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea and limit US President Donald Trump's ability to lift the restrictions on Moscow. The bill passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday by a vote of 419 to 3. The measures target Russia's defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies.
"These are just the first steps, without any doubt, other will be made," Klintsevich said.
"Political measures will be continued, there may be a ban on entry for congressmen and senators. There may be unexpected things in this set [of measures]," Klintsevich said.
The lawmaker added that Russia's patience due to "the illegality and unprincipledness of the US authorities bordering on rudeness" was at the limit.
"We are still interested in dialogue, cooperation with the United States, but we cannot but react to such actions," Klintsevich stressed.
"We are ready for the fact that the new sanctions bill against Russia will be signed by the US president."
Dzhabarov classified the Foreign Ministry's announcement that all US Embassy storage facilities in Moscow and a compound in Serebryanny Bor park would be suspended as of August 1 "only deferred sanctions."
"The new US sanctions law will be followed by a new response from Russia," the senator said, predicting that Moscow would adopt counter-sanctions immediately after US President Donald Trump signs the bill into law.
Back in December, Putin decided not to respond to sanctions imposed by the outgoing US administration and act in accordance with the ties built with the new US leadership. However, since then, the diplomatic property hasn't been returned. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that Moscow would take retaliatory measures against Washington if the situation with Russia's diplomatic property in the United States was not resolved.
