Lavrov Tells Pompeo Russia Categorically Rejects U.S. Sanctions

W300

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday in a phone conversation with U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo that Moscow categorically rejected the latest U.S. sanctions, the foreign ministry said.

"The Russian side expressed categorical rejection of the new sanctions recently announced by Washington," the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov reiterated to the U.S. Secretary of State Russia's position that Moscow played no role in the nerve agent poisoning in Salisbury of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, which prompted the latest U.S. sanctions.

"Lavrov stressed that neither the U.S. nor Britain nor any other country since the incident in Salisbury has presented a single fact to back up such claims," the ministry said.

The British government has blamed Russia for the attack using the Novichok nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union and has won support from EU members, the U.S. and other countries, which in March expelled Russian diplomats in a coordinated action.