MOSCOW, 25 December 2020, (TON): The expanded sanctions list published by the US authorities in relation to Russian companies allegedly classified as "military end users" is a destructive move for bilateral ties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"The latest innovations of the U.S. Department of Commerce aimed at modernizing its export regime, namely, the incorporation of the concept of 'military end user' and the inclusion of more than 40 Russian legal entities in the corresponding list, are perplexing and outrageous," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said while weekly briefing.

She emphasized that this was another unfriendly move on the part of the United States, aimed at containing Russia.

"We call once again on the U.S. side to listen to the voice of reason, at least ours, and, finally, to start adequately assessing the consequences of their destructive actions both for the general political atmosphere of relations between our countries and for their trade and economic component," she added.

The ministry considers that with this move, the United States undermines competition in global markets and acts to the detriment of its own businesses.

On Monday, the US Department of Commerce drafted a sanctions list of 103 entities, among which were 45 Russian companies that were allegedly labelled as "military end users," claiming they have military ties.