MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax) - Moscow regrets the decision made by the U.S. Congress to apply the so-called Magnitsky Act on a global scale.
"If the departing Washington 'clubbish set' represented by the Congress composition living out its last weeks and the current administration has set the goal of spoiling relations not only with Russia, but also with the entire world, it is its choice," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with Interfax on Friday.
"And we can only regret that by using the 'Magnitsky Act' as a 'training range', as a 'battering ram' to ruin the foundation of relations with Russia, the U.S. is now trying to use the same failing and unacceptable method in relations with other states," he said.
"The so-called globalization of U.S. sanctions legislation, including the infamous 'Magnitsky Act', is already a problem of the international community now," Ryabkov said.
"The thing is that, according to the adopted decisions, the provisions of the aforementioned act can be applied to a citizen or a structure that, in fact, represent any state and are registered in any state," Ryabkov said.
"Citizens of any state may be seen as qualifying for these unacceptable, illegitimate sanction measures that are permissible in accordance with this act and the U.S. approach," he said.
"We hope that such 'exercises' will not go unnoticed," Ryabkov said.