New U.S. Sanctions on Russia, Kremlin: They Will Hamper Peace Efforts with Ukraine

The Kremlin announced Thursday that any further U.S. sanctions against Russia would make reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine more difficult.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved Wednesday a sweeping sanctions package aimed at increasing economic pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, sending the bill to President Donald Trump for signature.

“Of course, we are monitoring the progress of this document. It falls into the category of unfriendly actions and, of course, the imposition of any additional sanctions by the U.S. would certainly complicate efforts for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Efforts to end the 4.5-year war in Ukraine with U.S. mediation have stalled, but U.S. President Donald Trump sent two envoys to Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month in an attempt to give the process a new impetus.

The U.S. sanctions bill targets Russia’s energy and defense sectors, as well as the “shadow fleet” of tankers that bypass existing sanctions, in an attempt to deprive Moscow of revenue to finance its war with Ukraine.

At the same time, it authorizes Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on China, India and other countries in order to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and natural gas.

India has warned Washington that new tariff measures for buying Russian oil could have consequences for bilateral relations.