Russian Diplomat: New U.S. Sanctions Won’t Help to Mend Ties

A senior Russian diplomat says a new package of U.S. sanctions against Russia harms chances for improving the ties between the two countries, pushing them into “uncharted territory.”

Russian officials welcomed Donald Trump’s presidential win last year, hoping to mend relations with the United States which had reached a post-Cold War low under President Barack Obama.

Congress on Tuesday backed a new package of sanctions against Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov criticized the sanctions on Wednesday as “closing off the prospect for normalizing ties.” He told the Interfax news agency the new sanctions are pushing Russia and the U.S. “into uncharted territory both in a political and diplomatic sense.”