MOSCOW, December 20./TASS/. Moscow reserves the right to choose the time, venue and form of counter-moves to US sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Tass Tuesday in comments on the US’ expanding its sanction list against Russia.

"We have repeatedly said and say once again that we all must be on alert," the diplomat said. "We don’t know what next hostile to us moves could be taken by the present US leadership," he said.

"There has been no logic in their behavior since long and we have got accustomed to this generally speaking," he noted.

"We will be expanding our lists, we will see how we can respond asymmetrically. We reserve the right to choose the timing, the venue and form of counter-moves the way that will suit us, and the way it will be relevant to our own priorities in the American direction," he said.

The diplomat also said Moscow was ready for everything as to "entirely groundless hostile moves from the outgoing administration".

"I won’t be surprised if on January 20, the day of inauguration of the next US president, one minute before Donald Trump takes office, at 11:59, we will once again see behind some curtain, in the corner those who continuously produce such kind of decisions once again inventing certain rescripts, decisions, pushing into an abyss relations with Russia that are already in tatters due to Washington’s irresponsible and senseless policy," the diplomat said.

Expansion of US sanctions

On Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury announced an expansion of the sanctions list against Russia over the developments in Ukraine. Seven individuals and several dozen entities, as well as two Russian-flagged ships have been added to the list.

"Kirill Kovalchuk, Dmitri Lebedev, Dmitri Mansurov, Mikhail Klishin, Oleg Minaev, and Mikhail Dedov are being designated under E.O. 13661 for acting for or on behalf of and providing financial, material, or technological support to Bank Rossiya, ABR Management, or Sobinbank," U.S. Treasury Department Office of Public Affairs wrote.

"Yevgeniy Prigozhin is being designated under E.O. 13661 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, senior officials of the Russian Federation," it said.