Russia: New Sanctions Deepen Confrontation

New U.S. sanctions against Russia show that Washington wants to aggravate tensions with Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"Such provocation moves not only destroy Russia-U.S. relations but also do not help cooperation on resolving other global issues. Of course, such a move would not be left without reaction," the statement said.

The United States imposed further Russia and Ukraine-related sanctions on Thursday, adding associates of a billionaire Russian gas trader, Crimean port operators and former Ukrainian officials to its list of those it is penalizing in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Reporting by Katya Golubkova