U.S. sanctions against Russia weakens hopes for progress

By Azernews

By Ali Mustafayev

Moscow assessed the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia as a "full-scale trade war" against it.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has criticized the sanctions bill signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it ends hope for improving relations and ignites "an all-out trade war with Russia."

"The hope for improving our relations with the new U.S. administration is now over," Medvedev said on Facebook after Trump signed on August 2 the bill he once opposed, calling it “significantly flawed”.

The document aims to punish Russia for its alleged meddling in the U.S. elections and its actions in Ukraine and Syria. The legislation also limits the volume of American investments in Russian energy projects, and makes it more difficult for U.S. companies to do business with Russia.

The document also imposes tough new sanctions on Iran and North Korea over their missile programs, as well as for human rights abuses.

Medvedev added that the Trump administration demonstrated total impotence by surrendering its executive authority to Congress in the most humiliating way.

"The American establishment has won an overwhelming victory over Trump. The president wasn't happy with the new sanctions, but he had to sign the bill."

Meanwhile, Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is not going to impose new sanctions against Washington.

 "This doesn't change anything," he said when a reporter asked him about the impact of the sanctions and a possibility of further retaliation from Russia.

"What kind of measures? No new steps. Retaliatory measures have already been taken."

Moreover, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it remains "open for cooperation with the U.S. in the spheres where we see it [as] useful for ourselves and international security, including the settlement of regional conflicts."

President Trump earlier accused Congress of overreach on the legislation. "As president, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress," he said.

The president, in signing the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions, attached a statement calling the measure "deeply flawed".

Donald Trump has repeatedly rejected any allegations that his campaign staff cooperated with Russia for victory in the elections.

The allegations by the U.S. intelligence community that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election are currently being investigated by Congress and a special investigator.