MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. A senior Russian lawmaker has slammed the upcoming 20th package of sanctions against Russia as a potential declaration of a "tanker war" and warned that it will cost its initiators dearly.
"The ‘piratic package’ may cost its initiators dearly, both literally and figuratively. As a matter of fact, this is a declaration of a ‘tanker war,’ which will predictably lead to a harsh and inevitable response from Russia. These ‘sea battle’ games will definitely end badly for those who started them," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), wrote on his Max channel.
According to the Russian lawmaker, these sanctions will further marginalize Europe in global politics and exclude any possibility of the European Union’s participation in negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. "Sober-minded politicians in the Old World who are aware of the risks of real confrontation understand this perfectly well. Incidentally, the ambassadors of the countries still are failing to agree on a new package of sanctions," he noted.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said earlier that the next, 20th, package of anti-Russian sanctions might be approved at the forthcoming meeting of foreign ministers of European Union member-countries on Monday. According to a diplomatic source in Brussels, the new package will give legal grounds for intercepting tankers with Russia oil, a move that raises concerns in a number of EU countries that warn about risks of an armed confrontation with Russia at sea.