Moscow Warns Washington against “Playing with Fire” by Imposing New Sanctions

Russia has warned the United States against “playing with fire” by imposing new sections against the country, saying Washington will never succeed in “dictating terms” to Moscow.

On Thursday, the US State Department announced it has added the names further 33 Russians to its sanctions blacklist, bringing the total number of sanctioned individuals to 72 people.

Russian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement on Friday, warning Washington not to play with fire since “it can become dangerous.”

 “It would be good for them to remember there is such a concept as global stability which they are thoughtlessly undermining by whipping up tensions in Russian-American ties,” said deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, according to Press TV.

  “We recommend that Washington’s operators of the sanctions machine at least superficially acquaint themselves with our history to stop going round in circles,” Ryabkov added.

Ryabkov said that none of the rounds of sanctions had so far managed to force Russia to change its course.

 “The numerous American ‘black lists’ increasingly repeat each other. It is funny but it is so,” he said. “It seems like this has turned into a kind of national entertainment, because yesterday’s were already the 60th anti-Russian measures since 2011.”

Separately on Friday, US Ambassador to Moscow John Huntsman said that the relationship between the two countries was “stressed.”

“The months ahead will be key in stabilizing our relationship and deepening trust,” Huntsman told a US investment forum in Moscow. “We must work on replenishing the level of trust between our officials.”

China warns US of ‘consequences’ over sanctions

The US also imposed sanctions against China, announcing punitive measures for the first time against a military organization for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles.

China’s Foreign Ministry also reacted to the move on Friday, strongly urging Washington “to immediately correct their mistake and withdraw their sanctions, otherwise the US will have to bear the consequences.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing that Beijing “expresses strong indignation over the above-mentioned unreasonable practices of the US side.”

He said the Chinese government had lodged an official protest with Washington.

“The US actions have seriously violated the basic principles of international relations and seriously damaged the relations between the two countries and the two militaries,” Geng said.

The sanctions are adopted against the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, and its top administrator, for the recent purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missiles.

This is the first time a third country is being punished by the US for dealing with Russia— the world’s second largest weapons seller, after the US.

India, China and Vietnam are the principal sources of demand for Russian weapons in the region.

The US itself is under fire for providing arms, including internationally banned cluster munitions, to Saudi Arabia, which has launched a military campaign against Yemen since 2015.

Earlier this week, CNN published an exclusive report that revealed US-made bombs were used in numerous bombing attacks which led to civilian deaths in Yemen. The report titled “Made in America” states that shrapnel found in the Saudi attacks in Yemen “ties US bombs to a string of civilian deaths.”

H.M