The "silly, warmongering statements" of some NATO leaders add uncertainty and influence the markets," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev noted, speaking about the situation in the wake of new anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the US.
Relations between Moscow and Washington has been deteriorating recently over the alleged poisoning attack on ex-spy Skripal, which was groundlessly blamed on Russia, as well as the countries' different stances on conflict in Syria.
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Last Friday, the US again resorted to sanctions pressure, citing Moscow’s alleged “malign activity around the globe.” 38 Russian individuals and entities were added to the sanction list. The sanctions target major Russian businessmen and companies, including Oleg Deripaska, along with Rusal and the En+ Group controlled by him, Viktor Vekselberg and Renova Group, the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller, and VTB Bank President Andrey Kostin. On April 11, the US Congress unveiled that it considers a new batch of sanctions against Russia, citing Russia’s alleged role in the “Skripal case” as the main reason for ramping up economic pressure on Moscow.