Russia vows to retaliate US sanctions

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow will expand in a retaliatory move the list of U.S. citizens for whom the entry to Russia is limited, a country's top diplomat said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the U.S. blacklisted two employees of the Russian Investigative Committee, accusing them of violating the rights of religious organization Jehovah's Witnesses.

"These sanctions against the Russians are a continuation of a completely discrediting, disastrous line. It [the U.S.] assumes that we will bend under the pressure of sanctions, but this will never happen. And, of course, we will accordingly expand our restrictive lists for the entry of American citizens to Russia. We speak openly about it," Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow.

As soon as the U.S. "abandons" the practice of expanding blacklist, Moscow will do the same, Ryabkov added.

Turning to the resignation of the U.S. Security Advisor John Bolton, Ryabkov said Russia "has no illusions regarding possible positive changes in the bilateral relations".