Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the Donald Trump administration is contradictory in its statements and actions, but that Russia knows how to resist possible additional sanctions from Washington, Russian news agencies reported today, quoted by Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said this week that he is considering approving additional sanctions against Moscow.
Hypothetical US tariffs of 500% against Russia's trading partners will require analysis and reflection, but will not radically change the picture, Ryabkov said, quoted by TASS. He added that the Trump administration's contradictory actions and words were making the situation more difficult, but Moscow was nevertheless determined to work to improve relations with Washington.
"The Trump administration is very contradictory in its actions and statements. This does not make the work easier," he said. "Nevertheless, we are persistently and consistently pursuing a course towards normalizing our relations," Ryabkov explained.
He added that Russia "knows how to resist sanctions".
In recent years, instruments and schemes have been developed that allow "to satisfy to a significant extent one or another need through import substitution," Ryabkov noted.