Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a telephone conversation with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, touching upon the issue of Washington's new sanctions against Russia.
"The Russian side expressed categorical rejection of Washington's recently announced sanctions referring to the allegedly available information on Russia's involvement in the so-called Skripal case," Lavrov told Pompeo, as cited by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The minister stressed that neither the United States nor the United Kingdom nor any other side had provided a single fact to substantiate the accusations.
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Pompeo, in his turn, told the Russian Foreign Minister that Washington was seeking improved relations with Moscow. Both sides agreed to continue the dialogue.
On Wednesday, Washington announced new anti-Russian sanctions over Moscow’s alleged use of chemical weapons in England's Salisbury against former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in March. The new sanctions ban exports of electronic devices and dual-use components to Russia. Further restrictions, including banning Russian carrier Aeroflot's US flights, limiting diplomatic ties and halting US exports, may be avoided if Washington confirms that Russia "is no longer using chemical or biological weapons."
