UPDATE: Russia to prepare retaliation against new US sanctions

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MOSCOW/BRUSSELS, Jun 21 (PRIME) -- Russia will prepare retaliatory measures against the extended U.S. sanctions, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

“As the sanctions of the previous few years show, the main principle of reaction to the sanctions is certainly the principle of reciprocity, so it is quite understandable and clear,” Peskov said.

“The sanctions were taken with regret, with regret over a continued stake on such sanctions rhetoric, far from constructive, and most importantly – far from the actual demonstration of the political will to settle the problem that we have around Ukraine.”

On Tuesday, the U.S. expanded its sanction list over the situation in Ukraine by adding 38 positions.

A high-ranking E.U. official told reporters that some E.U. countries are against automatic prolongation of the anti-Russian sanctions.

“There are some countries that think that prolongation of the sanctions cannot be just an automatic and technically written procedure,” the source said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel may recommend the E.U. members prolong the anti-Russian sanctions at the next summit of E.U. leaders, the source said.

“I expect a recommendation from Merkel and Macron to prolong the sanctions,” the person said.

Previously, E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the E.U. is likely to prolong the economic sanctions against Russia as the Minsk agreements were yet to be fulfilled.

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian individuals and firms and further against the energy and banking sectors. In response, Russia limited food imports from some countries, including the U.S., the E.U., Canada, Australia, and Norway.

Under the Minsk-2 agreements signed in February 2015, Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics are to keep a ceasefire and withdraw heavy weapons from the contact line, while Ukraine is to amend the constitution considering decentralization, taking into account the two regions. The sides are also to agree on elections in the two regions.

The agreements were to be fulfilled by December 31, 2015, but the deadline was extended as all the sides have failed to implement the agreements in time.

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