MOSCOW. July 20 (Interfax) - The chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, has reminded of the reciprocity principle after the United States sanctioned the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov.
"The principle of reciprocity has not been abolished. Russia will find a way to apply measures in response to the latest unlawful decision of the Department of State," Slutsky told journalists on Monday.
"The imposition of U.S. individual sanctions against the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, and his family members is yet another unfriendly step by the U.S. administration," he said.
"The grounds for his blacklisting are absolutely hollow. Kadyrov was and remains a patriot of Russia. Obviously, it is this fact that is the true reason for the restrictions. Accusations of involvement in human rights violations are quite serious and should only be proved in court," Slutsky said.
Otherwise, "such allegations are defaming one of the most authoritative Russian regional leaders," he said.
"I don't think that the U.S. sanctions could affect the efficiency of Kadyrov as the leader of the Chechen Republic," the parliamentarian said.