Russia Sees US Sanctions as ‘Revenge’ for Failed Ukraine Policy

Medvedev: Nation May Increase Military Spending in Response

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement today reacting angrily to the latest round of US sanctions against them, saying they believe the move is simply spite because the situation in the Ukraine hasn’t unfolded as the Obama Administration had hoped.

The statement insisted it was “groundless” to blame Russia for the Ukrainian conflict, particularly with Russia pushing hard for an end to the ongoing civil war.

The US has been pretty straightforward about that being exactly what they are doing, and on a daily basis the State Department refers to the Ukrainian war as a “Russian invasion.” The most recent sanctions are aiming to target Russian arms exporters, particularly.

Russian officials are warning about retaliatory sanctions, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also warned that Russia could respond to the “hostile” action with increased military spending.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.