Kremlin slams US for resorting to 'illegal' sanctions

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia lashed out against the U.S. on Monday for using sanctions to get an unfair edge in global trade, charging it is breaking international law in the process.

"The United States and a number of other countries very often use illegally, in terms of international law, trade and other restrictions against third countries, and resort to this practice more and more often recently, primarily to ensure their own interests in world trade," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Asked about possible new U.S. sanctions on Russia for its supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Peskov said Moscow will assess and act as the situation calls for.

Since the beginning of 2019, Venezuela has been embroiled in unrest as Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido have vied for political power, while the country's economy has been in free fall.

Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, said last week that "the Russians may soon find that their continued support of Maduro will no longer be cost-free."