The U.S. is essentially taking international business structures and companies of other countries hostage by introducing sanctions against Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
“This policy cannot be assessed in any other way apart from the US side taking international business structures and third country companies as political hostages,” Ryabkov told Spunik on Friday.
He said Moscow assesses negatively the U.S. forming new sanctions lists against Russia, Washington’s destructive approach is evident.
On Thursday, The New York Times newspaper reported that the U.S. Department of State suggested new sanctions against 33 Russian defense companies and five intelligence entities.
“Our assessment of what is happening is purely negative, we proceed from the opposite priority: problems must be solved, not multiplied.
“Unfortunately, Washington maintains its former, destructive attitude.
“We do not see any signs that all those to whom our independent, consistent, firm policy is literally unbearable, that they are ready to change one inch of their profoundly vicious and violating the norms of interstate communication behavior,” Ryabkov told Sputnik.
Ryabkov added that the companies mentioned in the lists were already under the sanctions and learned how to conduct business in such conditions.