Kremlin slams new U.S. sanctions, says may respond

[December 21, 2016]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that new sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States would damage relations between the two countries and that Moscow would respond with its own measures.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaks during a news briefing on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi, Russia, May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

"We regret that Washington is continuing on this destructive path," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

"We believe this damages bilateral relations ... Russia will take commensurate measures."

The United States on Tuesday widened sanctions against Russian businessmen and companies adopted after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the conflict in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Peter Hobson)

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