Elena Teslova
27 August 2018•Update: 27 August 2018
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW
The U.S. decision to impose sanctions on Russia following the Skripal poisoning case in British Salisbury is part of a targeted policy to erode the international structure in the fields of arms control and non-proliferation, including the prohibition of chemical weapons, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
The first round of U.S. sanctions on Russia following the poisoning of ex-spy Sergey Skripal came into effect Monday.
The new restrictions prohibit the sale of weapons and the export of dual-use goods and technologies to Russia, as well as the provision of foreign aid and the issuance of any loans to the country.
"With such steps, Washington further complicates the possibility of dialogue on the problems existing in multilateral and bilateral formats," spokeswomen Maria Zakharova said in a written statement.
The sanction does not contribute to a respectful and civilized bilateral dialogue and interaction, Zakharova added.
"It is sad that the American political elite cannot accept the simple truth: sanctions measures are not able to force Russia to turn off the chosen path for the firm defense of its national interests," she said.
Sergei and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned by a nerve agent in March in the southern English city of Salisbury. The British government had blamed the incident on Russia, linking the nerve agent to a series of Russia-developed chemical weapons collectively known as Novichok.
The Kremlin strongly denied responsibility in the case.
The Skripals have since recovered from the alleged assassination attempt.
