MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. The use of sanctions by the United States to turn up pressure on Moscow is a sign of weakness in Washington’s position, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Soloviev Live YouTube channel on Wednesday.

The diplomatic spokeswoman focused on the statement that White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made on Tuesday, saying that the US was "always prepared for any action" after consultations with European partners in terms of possible sanctions against Russia with regard to the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

"We are ready for that. We know perfectly well what lies behind this kind of approach, it’s the inability to use legal methods to maintain a competitive struggle - if it is what they think it is, or healthy competition as we call it. We understand that it is one of the tools they use to implement [their] foreign policy. We realize that it shows their own weakness and they need to realize it, too," Zakharova emphasized.