MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - Russia expects that the White House understands that putting pressure on Russia, including by threatening it with new sanctions, is counterproductive and has no prospects, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"We are certain that the people working for the current U.S. administration are reasonable enough and understand perfectly that pressure, not to mention open threats to Russia, are a counterproductive tool that has no prospects," Zakharova said at a press briefing on Tuesday, when asked to comment on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remark that the U.S. Congress was preparing new sanctions on Russia in case there was no progress in the situation surrounding Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry takes note of "all statements coming from high-ranking American representatives," she said.