MOSCOW, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin said Wednesday that Moscow seeks to avoid a new sanction standoff with the West amid rising speculations that the United States will escalate sanctions against Russia.
"As for the new sanction aspirations of our partners, we wouldn't like to go into this sanction dive once again. But that's not our choice," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
U.S. Senate Republicans and Democrats agreed late Monday on imposing new Russian sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy, including mining, metals, shipping and railways, stepping up efforts to punish the country for ongoing crises in Ukraine and Syria as well as its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
A procedural vote on the new sanctions, which will require congressional reviews if President Donald Trump attempts to ease, suspend or terminate them, is scheduled for Wednesday. Given Monday's agreement, the new package is largely expected to get bipartisan support.
"Let us evaluate what has become reality, because so many plans and aspirations have recently been declared in Washington that one cannot keep up with everything," Peskov said.
The Kremlin, he added, is closely following the new sanctions and takes a negative view on them.
Warning that the United States' relationship with Russia is at an all-time low, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cautioned Tuesday while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that imposing more sanctions could lead to Russia curtailing talks on Syria, which he said were progressing.
