US Department of State Building WASHINGTON, Jan 12 The US hopes to impose new sanctions on Russia will not have to, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. «We hope this remains hypothetical. For it to be, we want to see continued involvement in diplomacy,» Price said at the briefing. 
Bloomberg: Europe is afraid of new US sanctions against Russia He stressed that Washington hopes that» Russia will choose to be involved in the diplomatic process. » «We are ready to continue diplomacy to a high degree, this remains preferable,» Price stressed. According to him, if the situation around Ukraine escalates, Russia will face significant consequences. 
The Foreign Ministry responded to the US threats to impose new sanctions against Russia. Earlier, Democratic senators in the US presented a draft law on sanctions against the Russian Federation in the event of an escalation of the situation around Ukraine. The document assumes sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and other representatives of the country's leadership, as well as financial institutions. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, but statements about «RF aggression» is being used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that the West's statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous.
