Russia warns Japan that it will respond to the latest sanctions package announced by Tokyo

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He rules out being doing “nuclear blackmail” and asks to show “similar concern” for the US nuclear weapons already deployed in Europe

May 27. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused Japan of trying to “become the leader of anti-Russian restrictions” and has warned that it will respond to the latest sanctions package announced by Tokyo on Thursday.

“We continue to monitor the practical implementation of these steps and assess their possible impact on national security and the economy,” the Russian diplomatic portfolio said in a statement charging Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The Japanese government announced on Thursday the expansion of sanctions against Russia, “in light of the current international situation surrounding Ukraine, and in order to contribute to international peace efforts aimed at resolving this issue.”

Thus, the Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed the freezing of assets of 78 Russian organizations and 17 individuals, the ban on exports to 80 companies, the refusal to export goods that “strengthen” Russian industry, and the ban on “providing services of architecture and engineering” to the Eurasian country.

Those sanctioned include officials from the Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow in September last year after fraudulent referendums –Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia–, as well as soldiers and even a television presenter.

MOSCOW REJECTS “NUCLEAR BLACKMAIL”

On the other hand, Russia has denounced the attempts of the Japanese authorities for their attempts to spread the idea that Moscow is trying to implement a kind of “nuclear blackmail” in the framework of the war in Ukraine, which began more than fifteen months ago. .

“The desire to attribute to Russia the false intention to use nuclear weapons in relation to the events in Ukraine is nothing more than cynical and unscrupulous speculation,” the Russian diplomatic portfolio has remarked.

Thus, Moscow has asserted that it has not changed its approach to this issue and has urged Tokyo to “show similar concern regarding the US nuclear weapons already deployed in Ukraine.”

Together with the 20th package of sanctions, the Japanese authorities condemned Russia’s decision to transfer nuclear weapons to Belarusian territory and demanded the cessation of such actions because “tensions increase.”

“Japan, the only country that has suffered atomic bombing during the war, we absolutely cannot accept Russia’s threat of nuclear weapons, let alone their use,” Japanese authorities stressed on Thursday.

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, confirmed on Thursday that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had brought him the news that he had begun the transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarusian territory. The news has already drawn criticism internationally, including from the United States and the European Union.

The construction of a series of storage facilities for this type of weapon is expected to finish on July 1. Moscow has already delivered to Minsk an Iskander missile defense system, which can carry nuclear warheads, while helping to train and equip Russian forces so they can make use of “special ammunition.”