'New US sanctions attempt to influence Russia before election'
MOSCOW - A new round of US sanctions expected against Moscow is an attempt to influence Russia's domestic affairs ahead of a presidential election, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying on Saturday.
Washington is expected to impose fresh penalties against Russia as soon as early February for its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential vote. Russia has repeatedly denied this.
Moscow expects the United to present two anti-Russian reports with the sanctions, Ryabkov told Tass news agency.
One of the reports will likely extend the number of Russian officials and companies on the sanctions list, while the other will analyze whether sanctions so far have proved to be effective, Ryabkov said.
