Kremlin says liaising with government to mitigate U.S. sanctions

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends an awarding ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 6, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it is liaising with the Russian government on measures to mitigate the effect of new U.S. sanctions, adding that it would take its time to decide on any retaliatory measures.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a conference call that the Kremlin was closely studying the impact on Russian markets of sanctions imposed by Washington on Friday.

Peskov said the sanctions were "egregious from the point of view of legality and disrespect for norms."

The United States imposed major sanctions on Friday against Russian businessmen, companies and government officials, striking at allies of President Vladimir Putin in one of Washington's most aggressive moves to punish Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and other "malign activity."

(Reporting by Denis Pinchuk; Editing by Christian Lowe)