Russia says expects sanctions to stay in place despite Trump win

Russia expects Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict to stay in place despite Donald Trump winning the U.S. presidential election, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.

"Our position is that sanctions will remain unchanged," Medvedev told a news conference in Jericho on the West Bank after earlier meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Irrespective of the results of elections in any country, including in one as important as the United States of America, our assumptions remain unchanged," he said.

Trump stunned the world by defeating heavily favoured rival Hillary Clinton in the U.S. vote on Tuesday. That led some to speculate that sanctions on Russia could be eased since Trump is widely viewed as friendly to the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia was ready to do its part to fully restore ties with Washington following the election of Trump, Reuters reported.

A senior diplomat also said the Russian government was in touch with members of Trumps political team during the U.S. election campaign.

Source: ANTARA