MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) - Moscow may retaliate against sanctions the U.S. may impose on Russia under the pretext of alleged violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
"The possibility always exists," a Russian diplomat told Interfax, answering a related question.
As to what Russian steps are possible, the diplomat said that would depend on the sanctions imposed by the United States.
"I understand the sanctions will target concrete enterprises. Such things have happened before and invariably caused a negative reaction. Countermeasures are taken if necessary, but every individual case should be considered separately. There is no typical course of action, everything depends on the circumstances," he said.
"For starters, the Americans should formulate their claims and present evidence of alleged violations but they have not done so," he said.
"Speaking of our attitude to threats of sanctions, it has always been negative. We believe that any sanctions should be approved by the UN Security Council. Unilateral steps are counterproductive and cannot do any good," he said.
The diplomat again underlined that Russia was not breaching the INF Treaty.
The media said last week that the United States might impose sanctions on Russia for the alleged violation of the INF Treaty.