Putin’s spox: New sanctions vs Russia over Ukraine unconstructive

ST. PETERSBURG, Jan 26 (PRIME) -- Threatening Moscow with new sanctions instead of exerting pressure on those who reject a dialogue to settle the Ukrainian conflict is not constructive, as Russia will not change its position, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Monday.

“Instead of mounting pressure on those who reject a dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the conflict, we are hearing new economic blackmail against Russia,” Peskov said.

It will be an absolutely unconstructive, uncalled-for and a short-sighted line to restart threatening Russia because of any worsening of the situation in Ukraine.

“Russia has never agreed with such threats, and, moreover, these threats and blackmail have never led and will never lead to Russia changing its consistent and well known position under the pressure,” he added.

On January 24, after repeated violations of the truce agreement by both sides of the Ukrainian conflict over the past weeks, forces of the pro-Russian separatists began an attack on the city of Mariupol. After that, U.S. President Barack Obama said Washington was considering all options short of military action to isolate Russia, while the E.U. called an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of its 28 member states.

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