Russia vows 'countermeasures' for expanded U.S. sanctions

MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow will take countermeasures in response to the United States' decision to expand sanctions related to fighting in Ukraine.

"We emphasize that the U.S. should not cherish illusions regarding the possibility that it can continue this line without negative consequences for itself. We will take countermeasures, but not necessarily mirror [the U.S. expansion of sanction lists]. Washington's actions devalue its own signals on its interest in cooperation with us in solving a number of pressing international problems. It looks like the futility of attempts to put sanction pressure on us doesn't teach the Washington strategists anything," the the ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not specify what the "countermeasures" might be.

The U.S. government said Wednesday in a statement on the Federal Register that it is adding 29 people to the sanctions list to tighten restrictions previously imposed on Russia for violating international law and "fueling the conflict in eastern Ukraine."

On Wednesday, the European Union also agreed to extend sanctions against Russian firms and individuals until next March.

The Russian Foreign Ministry characterized the U.S. expansion of sanctions as "another element in a series of hostile actions the U.S. has lately undertaken against Russia in various fields, including the military, economic and visa ones. This is also a sign of the line toward consistently destroying the basis for normalizing Russian-American relations, which has taken root in the U.S. ruling circles."

Despite sanctions, Russia and the United States have forged an alliance in the Middle East with a shared commitment to fight the Islamic State.