Russia hits out at ‘unacceptable’ US sanctions and warns of retaliation
Russia is planning retaliatory measures against sanctions imposed by the US over the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal, which caused the rouble to fall to its lowest level since November 2016 today.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that Moscow was starting to work on measures following Washington’s decision to impose sanctions, which she claimed were using the Salisbury attacks in March as a pretext.
“The US administration has thrust all forces on complicating the situation further still,” she said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
“The calculation of those behind the latest episode in the so-called Skripals case is simply obvious: to attempt, with all truths and untruths, to keep afloat this profitable [for them] anti-Russian subject as a tool of continuing to demonise Russia.”
The Skripal case was a “pretext” for “new portions of restrictions”, she claimed.
Earlier in the day, the Kremlin hit back at the “categorically unacceptable” measures, describing them as “absolutely illegal”. A spokesperson argued Russia “could not have any connection to the use of chemical weapons”.
The intervention came as the rouble-dollar rate reached 66.3 on the Moscow Stock Exchange. On Tuesday, the rouble rate had stood at 63.4.
The share prices of major Russian firms, including Aeroflot and Rusal, also fell today.