Russia Hopes for Anti-Terror Work With US Despite New Sanctions – Lawmaker

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it reserved the reciprocal right to hit US interests, including suspending the use of all US Embassy warehouses and its compound in Moscow, as a response to the new possible US sanctions against Russia. The ministry also called for the US to cut down the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people.

"We are still hoping for the common sense, particularly, on countering the international terrorism with the United States but obviously we have different goals in Syria … Despite that we will struggle for the common sense where it is possible. And we will hope that these irrational, inadequate, unfounded anti-Russian steps of Washington will stop," Slutsky said.

He welcomed the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement on possible retaliatory measures against the United States.

"The decision is absolutely adequate. We give no opportunity to our strategic friends to accuse us of some excessive measures … We responded proportionally and absolutely appropriately," Slutsky said.

The lawmaker pointed out that Russia had been calling for the common sense for a long time but the United States "did not hear the calls."

The US Senate approved a bill in a 98-2 vote 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.