Russia to U.S. ambassador: response to new sanctions will follow soon

The Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday it has told the U.S. ambassador that the new U.S. sanctions were a serious blow to bilateral relation and Moscow's response to them will follow soon.

The ministry also told the U.S. ambassador it was entirely inappropriate to warn Moscow against further escalation, it said in a statement.

The United States on Thursday imposed a broad array of sanctions on Russia, including curbs to its sovereign debt market, to punish it for interfering in last year's U.S. election, cyber-hacking, bullying Ukraine and other alleged "malign" actions.