Franz Klintsevich, deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s committee for defense and security, told journalists on Wednesday that fresh sanctions could make joint U.S.-Russian efforts to solve international issues, like terrorism, “extremely difficult, if not impossible.”
“The world could enter into a new Cold War,” he warned.
The new batch of sanctions could be the most significant to be placed on Russia since 2014. According to the bill, the sanctions target those involved in Russian cyber-attacks against the United States, human rights violations and corruption.
Russian senator Konstantin Kosachyov, the head of the Federation Council’s international relations committee, said Russia would prepare a response to the bill, warning on Facebook it would be “painful” for the U.S.
“The further degradation of bilateral cooperation is becoming inevitable,” Kosachyov wrote.
“The American political elite has become unhinged,” Kosachyov went on. “It has chosen our country as a target or, more precisely, as a training wall.”
Policymakers did not provide specifics on what the Russian response to new sanctions will be. But Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma’s committee on international relations, cautioned against harsh retaliation that would “frighten the sensible forces which do exist in sufficient numbers in the United States.”
Discussions on the response measures are already in progress in the State Duma and the Federation Council, Slutsky said in an interview with Rossiya 24 channel.
“The response should be constructive and useful for Russia, for Russian-American relations, for global politics,” Slutsky said. “It should be a well-thought out position so that we don’t spoil matters for ourselves even more.”