WASHINGTON, September 16. /TASS/. Unilateral sanctions of the US government are detrimental for US interests and for prospects of the global economic recovery, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said, commenting on a yet another round of anti-Russian restrictions.
"Washington's stubbornness, which continues to unwind the sanctions spiral, is no longer surprising. The US authorities refuse to acknowledge that unilateral illegitimate steps are unable to achieve their stated goals. On the contrary, they are attacking the interests of the United States and the prospects for the recovery of the global economy," the embassy quoted Antonov as saying in its official Telegram channel. "Confirmation of this is the confusion of the next ‘package of restrictions.’"
In his words, the US government included into one list "high-tech companies and ‘fashion houses,’ Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Aide to the President of Russia."
"Contradicting themselves, the Americans, on the one hand, declare the importance of cooperation in space, and on the other hand, impose sanctions against the structures of Roscosmos. Unable to withstand competition with advanced financial technologies, they are trying to prohibit their use. The impression is that the administration, no longer knowing how else to draw attention to its restrictions, rushing around like a cowboy with not very good eyesight and shoots randomly," Antonov continued.
In his words US sanctions against Russia will have no effect on Moscow’s stance and approaches.
"I would like to emphasize that such hostile steps cannot affect the approaches and positions of our country. They will only lead to further freezing of the bilateral dialogue. It will not be possible to isolate Russia with sanctions. A good example of this is the tight schedule of Vladimir Putin's international meetings in Samarkand at the summit of the SCO member states," the diplomat added.
Anti-Russian sanctions
On Thursday, the United States blacklisted Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, as well as Presidential Aide Maxim Oreshkin and a number of local administration officials from the Russian-controlled areas of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Overall, the new round of US sanctions affects 44 individuals and 32 legal entities, including Russian defense and high-tech enterprises. The package of measures also envisages tougher export control.
Moreover, The US Treasury said it was ready to introduce restrictive measures for supporting "Russia’s attempts to expand" the use of the Mir payment system outside its territory. According to the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Russia’s national system of payment NSRK, the operator of Mir payments cards, "is not a blocked entity under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations." However, according to Washington, financial institutions based outside the United States, can "support Russia's efforts to evade sanctions through the expanded use of the National Payment Card System (NSPK)" by cooperating with it.