Russian FM urges U.S. to cool down on sanctions spiral

Russia Foreign Ministry on Thursday urge the U.S. government to cool down and make efforts to end the ongoing sanction cycle between Moscow and Washington.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was not Russia "that started a completely senseless struggle in the international arena and triggered an inconceivable sanction spiral."

"We expect that the hot heads (in the U.S.) will cool down and that the common sense will eventually prevail," Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhon.

Speaking of the impact of Russia-U.S. tensions on joint work on the Syrian issue, the foreign minister said cooperation between the two sides was still underway.

"We are pragmatists and we understand that this is not the place for taking offenses or holding a false sense of prestige. This is a threat to all of us," Lavrov said, adding that the U.S. side even voiced the wish to expand bilateral interactions on this matter.

Relations between Moscow and Washington have soured recently due to escalating mutual sanctions.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a sanction bill on Russia targeting major areas of economic importance including energy, military industry and banking, which was slapped by Moscow as "a full-scale trade war against Russia."

In retaliation, Russia demanded the U.S. cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 to 455 by Sept. 1 and seized two U.S. estates in Moscow.

On Monday, the U.S. embassy in Russia said it would suspend all non-immigrant visa operations across Russia for nine days starting Wednesday.