Russia cancels upcoming US meeting over new sanctions

Sergei Karpukhin | Reuters

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin holds a glass during a ceremony of receiving diplomatic credentials from foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 9, 2016.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister says he has cancelled upcoming talks with the U.S. undersecretary of state over a new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it has imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and firms over Russia’s activities in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday quoted Deputy Minister Sergey Ryabkov as saying that “the situation is not conducive to holding a round of this dialogue” that was scheduled for Friday and criticized the U.S. for “not having offered and not offering anything specific” to discuss.

Russia-U.S. relations have remained tense even as the White House considers scheduling President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of next month’s Group of 20 meeting.