Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Getty Images

(VOVworld) - Russia has warned that the fresh wave of Western sanctions against Moscow could lead to higher energy prices for Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry made the warning in a Wednesday statement following US announcement of its toughest sanctions on Moscow since the Cold War period.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the US is shooting its legs by imposing sanctions on Russia for "Kremlin’s independent policies that Washington finds inconvenient”. Russia confirmed that these sanctions would benefit no-one while complicating Russian-US bilateral relationship and creating an adverse background for international issues. The statement also criticized the EU for its "inability to play an independent role in world affairs," and added that European consumers will suffer from the consequences of the sanctions targeting Russia's arms and energy sectors.
Earlier, the US announced on Tuesday that the Russian banks of VTB Bank OAO, Bank of Moscow, and the Russian Agricultural Bank have been cut off from the US economy. The United Shipbuilding Corp in St. Petersburg was also in the sanction list.