It appears, given comments from Foreign Minister Lukashevich [4], that things are about to get ugly again...
"we will have to respond...if provoked by rash and irresponsible actions by Washington... and not necessarily symmetrically."
Via Reuters,
Russia said on Tuesday that it would retaliate if the United States imposed sanctions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine.
"We will have to respond," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement. "As always in such situations, provoked by rash and irresponsible actions by Washington, we stress: This is not our choice."
And Interfax adds:
- RUSSIA WILL HAVE TO RESPOND TO POSSIBLE U.S. SANCTIONS, "AND NOT NECESSARILY SYMMETRICALLY" - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
Given that Russian boots remain on the ground in Ukraine and that the US (and the west - ex-UK) are still pressing for crushing sanctions against Russia; one has to wonder whether Putin's carefully worded "annexation" comment did nothing but enable exits for oligarchs... What really changed?