Russia Blasts US Sanctions as 'Economic War'

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev lashed new US sanctions as a "full-fledged economic war" on Moscow, saying they crushed hopes for repairing ties and demonstrated President Donald Trump's "total weakness ... in the most humiliating way'', Economic Times reports. 

Trump reluctantly signed off on the new sanctions Wednesday, bowing to domestic pressure after the White House failed to scupper the bill or water it down.

Medvedev warned the move would have "consequences", saying "it ends hopes for improving our relations with the new US administration."

"Second, it is a declaration of a full-fledged economic war on Russia," Medvedev said on his Facebook page.

Taunting the notoriously thin-skinned US president, Medvedev added: "The Trump administration has shown its total weakness by handing over executive power to Congress in the most humiliating way".

Trump signed the legislation behind closed doors and his reluctance was on full display in an angry signing statement in which he called the legislation "significantly flawed''.

The legislation - which also includes measures against North Korea and Iran - targets the Russian energy sector, giving Washington the ability to impose sanctions on companies involved in developing Russian pipelines, and placing curbs on some Russian weapons exporters.

Iran, too, reacted angrily, saying the new sanctions against it "violated" its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and warned it would respond "appropriately."

In his statement, Trump said: "The Framers of our Contitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the President. This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice."