Russia Prepares Sanctions Against US

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's government will add more Americans to its "black list" in response to new sanctions against Russians accused of election meddling.

Tensions with Moscow are growing before Russia's presidential election Sunday, after a nerve agent attack in Britain on a Russian ex-spy.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted Friday by news agency RIA Novosti as saying that Russia is preparing sanctions against "a new group of American actors" and possible "additional steps."

He said Russia would target the same number of people as the U.S. but didn't say what the sanctions would involve.

Ryabkov said he doesn't want to definitively close the door to dialogue and accused the U.S. of threatening global stability.

The Trump administration announced sanctions Thursday on 19 Russians and five companies accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

(KA)