Obama Administration Changed Course to 'Anti-Russian Agony' - Medvedev

The Obama administration has sadly changed its course from restoring ties with Russia in its early days to "anti-Russian agony" as it enters its final month, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Medvedev's remarks come a day after Washington introduced punitive measures, including declaring 35 Russian diplomats "persona non grata" and the closure of two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York.

"Sadly, the Obama administration, which began its life with the restoration of cooperation, ends it with anti-Russian agony," Medvedev wrote on Twitter.

Печально, что администрация Обамы, которая начинала свою жизнь с восстановления сотрудничества, заканчивает ее антироссийской агонией. RIP

— Дмитрий Медведев (@MedvedevRussia) 30 декабря 2016 г.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists late on Thursday that Russia was going to adequately respond to Washington’s new restrictive measures.

Peskov also said that the latest sanctions appear to be an attempt to enforce a certain line of action on the new US administration, instead of giving it free choice.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called the outgoing Obama administration's actions counterproductive and warned they would harm the mending of bilateral relations.