Dmitry Peskov Comments on Possible US Sanctions Against Russia

The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, while speaking about the potential new sanctions from the United States against Russia, stated that "there is no smoke without fire" and condemned any such sanctioning efforts as illegal from the Kremlin's perspective, according to RIA Novosti.

He also remarked that Moscow would prefer not to have its relations with the US built on a Leninist formula of "one step forward, two steps back."

"It is clear that there is no smoke without fire. And most likely, this pertains to some 'leaks' in American newspapers. For now, of course, we will not comment on the reports from the papers; we will wait to see if official Washington announces any specific decisions," Peskov told reporters.

Speaking about sanctions, he reiterated Russia's position: "As for sanctions, our approach cannot change in any way. We condemn any similar sanctioning efforts, consider them illegal, and in any case, the principle of reciprocity applies here—to ensure our own interests as best as we can. Of course, we would not want to operate in our bilateral relations based on a Leninist formula of 'one step forward, two steps back.'"