Obama Administration Threatens Russia with ‘Punitive’ Economic Sanctions, Europe is Wary

Local Editor

Obama's administration is calling for economic sanctions to be punitively imposed on Russia over Ukraine's crisis- although European allies are reluctant and not ready to take such an action.
The split between the two allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance- US and Europe- is on whether to enforce the sanctions and have their own economies put at stake as they depend greatly on Russia's resources.

Secretary of state John Kerry stated at a press conference that if Russia seizes to continue on this course, "our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand on steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia diplomatically, politically and economically."
Alexis Rodzianko, president of the American Chamber of Commerce assuredly told Reuters: "Is Russia going to be cut off from the world? That is very unlikely given what Russia provides to the world, which are oil, gas, raw materials."

The US has threatened Russia with isolation in August 2008.

Meanwhile, Russia says it will retaliate against any possible sanctions that the United States may impose on Moscow over its involvement in Ukraine.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow would have to respond in such situations that are provoked by "Washington's rash and irresponsible actions."

"We have frequently explained to the Americans... why unilateral sanctions do not fit the standards of civilized relations between states," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.

Lukashevich also added that such response would not be necessarily symmetrical.

Source Agencies, edited by website team