Russia will retaliate if sanctions are signed into law: Putin

As Russia sanctions bill heads to the Senate after passing through the House of Representatives, President Vladimir Putin has accused U.S. lawmakers of "insolence", and stated that Russia will retaliate if the latest round of sanctions are signed into law.

"The new round of US sanctions against Russia is extremely cynical and it will be particularly regrettable because this would be an act of aggravation," Russia Today quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying.

The House of Representatives voted by 419 votes to three on Tuesday to pass the new sanctions bill, which targets Russia as well as North Korea and Iran.

"It's an obvious attempt by the United States to use its geopolitical advantages in the competitive struggle with the goal of ensuring its economic interests at the expense of its other allies," he added.

"As for the extraterritorial nature of the US legislation, I have been talking about this for a long time, starting from 2007.This practice is unacceptable, it destroys international relations and international law," he said.

"We've never agreed to this and will never agree. As for how other states react to this, it depends on the degree of their sovereignty and their readiness to defend their own national interests," Putin stressed.

Putin further said that the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the US by the outgoing Obama administration, "the sanctions are illegal in terms of international law. They violate the principles of international trade and the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).