Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US was being "pushed" to impose new sanctions against Russia after massive Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities. According to him, this is due to "a media campaign aimed at sabotaging the peace process", the BBC quoted him as saying.
The statement comes in response to US President Donald Trump's sharp words on Monday, when he described Vladimir Putin as "completely out of his mind" and threatened new sanctions over Russia's deadliest attacks since the start of the war in Ukraine. According to the "Wall Street Journal", the sanctions could be introduced as early as this week.
However, Peskov stressed that "the Americans and President Trump are always balanced in their approach" and added that the Kremlin continues to work on a draft memorandum for a possible peace agreement with Ukraine, which will be made available when ready.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Western media of trying to destabilize the dialogue and undermine the negotiation efforts between Moscow and Washington.