Russia’s Foreign Ministry had a harsh reaction Thursday to the new sanctions President Obama announced for the nation, calling the move vengeful and likening the tactics to “bullying.”
Specifically, the Ministry’s statement said: “We consider the new round of American sanctions against Russia as a primitive attempt to take vengeance for the fact that events in Ukraine are not playing out to the tune of the script of Washington,” Fox News reported.
Also on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the sanctions on national television as akin to “driving into a corner” any chance for friendly U.S.-Russia relations, Fox News said. He also complained that the sanctions hurt the “long-term national interests of the U.S. government and people.”
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev got in on the criticism, too, saying in his own televised statement that the sanctions put Russia’s relations with the United States “back to the 1980s,” and issuing a somewhat veiled threat.
“[Russia] will have to pay more attention to military and security spending,” he said, Fox News reported.
The sanctions announced by Mr. Obama impact two major energy firms in Russia, by hampering their ability to access capital markets in the United States. The sanctions also hit at several Russian arms companies and several Russian officials.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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