MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. The extension of US sanctions against Russia introduced earlier in connection with the situation in Ukraine is a "quite automatic" decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that negotiations with Washington continue, though it is a difficult and lengthy process.
Peskov was asked at a briefing whether the US decision was expected for Russia amid talks, including those underway within the Russian-American group on economic affairs.
"The negotiation process, as we’ve said repeatedly, is complicated. And it is stretched over time. So, certainly, we didn’t have any inflated expectations on that point. This extension is a fairly automatic decision. And what follows the negotiation process will be seen on the results of negotiations that will be finalized," he said.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump extended for a year certain sanctions introduced earlier against Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine. This refers to restrictions against Moscow imposed by the administration of the 46th US President Joe Biden in February 2022, by the Trump administration in September 2018 (during his first US presidency), as well as by the administration of the 44th US President Barack Obama in March and December 2014 on Crimea. According to the official documents, all these restrictive measures "must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2026."
Russia and the United States, in addition to trilateral talks on Ukraine, are negotiating economic cooperation. On the Russian side, they are headed by Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). The latest meeting on that track was held in Geneva on February 17-18, concurrently with the trilateral talks. On February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow and Washington had reached an agreement to establish a bilateral economic working group.