The Kremlin is aware of the possible new US sanctions on Russia and hopes that these plans will be abandoned, as restrictions will certainly not promote any improvement of the bilateral relations, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the Republican Study Committee's proposal to the Congress to step up Russia sanctions.
"We follow reports about such statements and proposals about new restrictions. In general, we see such restrictions as illegal from the point of view of international law. Of course, we can only have regret over the emerging new impetus that some persons are trying to give to the US policy", Peskov told reporters when asked whether the Kremlin is aware of the plans.

"Of course, this will no way contribute to the normalisation of our bilateral relations. We hope that these plans will remain nothing but statements and will not be anyhow brought to life", the Kremlin spokesman added.
It is regrettable that US politicians are ready to sacrifice the relations with Russia amid the ongoing electoral race, Peskov noted.

The statement comes after the Republican Study Committee, the largest Republican caucus in the US House of Representatives, published on 10 June a strategy paper calling for branding Russia a state sponsor of terrorism and imposing sanctions on the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) until it expels Russia from its system. 

Congress, the document said, should direct the US State Department to put together a strategy to provide information "directly to the Russian people" in order to lead them to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to force changes in the government.

Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of aggression and said that it sees US sanctions as a manifestation of unfair competition that can only damage bilateral relations.