Russia will cope with possible new US sanctions from Washington, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday. Some US senators have called for new restrictive measures against Moscow, mainly targeting the energy sector.
"I would not want to speculate because as of now it is only a legislative initiative from some well-known US senators. Of course, we hope that common sense will prevail, and we will be able to get rid of the sanctions rhetoric," said Peskov, as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
According to him, such decisions "will cause additional damage not only to bilateral [US-Russia] relations but also to the global energy market.""There will be some negative consequences for our country, as well," Peskov added.
“There is no doubt that our energy sector will find appropriate compensatory measures to minimize any potential damage from such actions if they are implemented,” said Peskov.
On Tuesday, legislation sponsored by Republican Senator John McCain and senior Democrats Ben Cardin and Robert Menendez was introduced to the Congress. It was also supported by Republicans Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Ben Sasse and Rob Portman and Democrats Jeanne Shaheen, Amy Klobuchar and Richard Durbin.
The sanctions would impose visa bans and freeze the assets of individuals engaged in “significant activities undermining the cybersecurity of public or private infrastructure and democratic institutions," according to a Reuters quote.
McCain’s initiative also targets companies who invest more than $20 million in the Russian defense or energy sectors.
On Sunday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham joined the initiative and pledged to "introduce sanctions that...will hit them in the financial sector and the energy sector, where they're the weakest."