Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow will ultimately have to respond to sanctions imposed by the U.S. that he condemned as insolent towards Russia.
Putin labeled drafting of new restrictions by Washington as "actions with special cynicism," adding that Russia's response will depend on the final version of the bill.
"We are behaving in a very restrained and patient way, but at some moment we will need to respond because it's impossible to endlessly tolerate this kind of insolence towards our country," Russian president said at a news conference after talks with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto.
Putin added that Russia is always being provoked, citing expulsion of Russian diplomats and seizure of Russian diplomatic property by Obama administration in 2016 as an example.
The Russian strongman slammed the intensifying probe into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election, saying it bore witness to "a rise in anti-Russian hysteria" in Washington.
He bemoaned the worsening of relations with the United States, saying "Of course, we regret it very much."
Putin also argued that "Russian-U.S. relations are being sacrificed to resolve questions of domestic politics," specifying that "in this case, it is the battle between President (Donald) Trump and his political opponents."
The two countries acting in agreement "could solve very acute problems much more effectively," Putin said, specifying the "fight with terrorism."
