Russia cancels US meeting over sanctions as tensions escalate
RUSSIA has called off a meeting with the US in opposition to sanctions slapped on Moscow as the relationship between the two superpowers sours.
The US State Department confirmed the meeting had been cancelled
The US State Department confirmed the meeting had been cancelled, but they remained optimistic about future discussions being held.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday the appointment with US Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon would not go ahead as planned due to fresh sanctions against Moscow.
The high level meeting between the pair has been scrapped over what the Kremlin called a significant expansion of sanctions.
Moscow said it was compelled to react after the US added an extra 38 individuals and organisations to its blacklist.
They were singled out due to Russia’s meddling in Ukraine.
The move angered the Kremlin, who is still trying to restore relations with the US, which are at a post Cold War low point.
Mr Ryabkov said the new sanctions were "a continuation of the trend set by the Obama administration aimed at ruining relations between our countries".
Petro Poroshenko was on a visit to the United States on Tuesday
He added: "Previous multiple waves of American sanctions haven't achieved the result which their initiators had hoped for.
“Any new attempts to make Russia 'bow down' will be just as futile."
They branded the decision a “political gift” to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was on a visit to the United States on Tuesday.
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Any new attempts to make Russia 'bow down' will be just as futile
And they added it undermined any realistic prospect of opening dialogue between the two countries.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in statement: "We regret that Russia has decided to turn away from an opportunity to discuss bilateral obstacles that hinder U.S.-Russia relations.”
They maintained the new measures simply reinforced existing ones, which have been updated twice a year since first imposed.
Several rounds of sanctions have been imposed on Russia by the US and Europe
Ms Nauert added: "Let's remember that these sanctions didn't just come out of nowhere.
“Our targeted sanctions were imposed in response to Russia's ongoing violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbor, Ukraine.”
The high level meeting between the pair has been scrapped
Several rounds of sanctions have been imposed on Russia by the US and Europe following the unrest in Ukraine.
And the US senate backed further measures against Moscow for its meddling in the 2016 presidential election.