Sanctions ‘unfriendly’ – Kremlin

A new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia drew a swift rebuke from the Kremlin Thursday with a spokesman describing the penalties as “categorically unacceptable” and “unfriendly.”

Dmitry Peskov, Russia President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, painted the economic penalties over the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain as a breach of international law.

The State Department said Wednesday the U.S. made the determination that Russia had used a nerve agent to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, and that sanctions would be implemented later this month.

Peskov reaffirmed Moscow’s strong denial of involvement in the poisoning, saying that “there can’t be any talk about Russia having any relation to the use of chemical weapons.”

He added that Britain has failed to present any evidence to back the claim that the Kremlin was behind the brazen poisoning attempt and stonewalled Russia’s proposal for a joint probe.

The new U.S. sanctions include the provisions of a 1991 bill on chemical and biological weapons control and add to the current slate of restrictions that have been in place since the annexation of Crimea and war in eastern Ukraine.

A second, more severe round will be implemented after three months if Russia fails to provide “reliable assurances” that it will abandon chemical weapons. It’s unclear exactly how the Kremlin could meet that burden.

Trump — whose presidency has been clouded by a federal investigation into Russian election interference and the possibility that his campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to sway contest — has called for better relations with Russia while asserting that no other commander-in-chief has been “as tough” on Moscow.

Peskov called the economic restrictions “absolutely unfriendly and at odds with the constructive atmosphere present at the last meeting of presidents in Helsinki,” he said.