Ukrainian president says Russian sanctions 'unconstructive position'

KIEV - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday that sanctions imposed by Russia on 322 Ukrainian individuals and 68 entities are an "evidence of the unconstructive position of the Russian Federation," the presidential press service said in a statement.

"This is an indication that they are not going to implement Minsk agreements and are not going to reduce the tension," Poroshenko said during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Kiev.

Poroshenko added that Moscow's decision to impose sanctions against Ukrainian citizens and companies came as no surprise for Kiev.

Earlier in the day, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree to impose sanctions on Ukraine, which include freezing of assets controlled by the blacklisted individuals and entities in Russia and a ban on the transfer of their funds from Russia.

Relations between Kiev and Moscow have been deteriorating since early 2014 over Crimea and the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Kiev has accused Russia of aiding the insurgents in eastern Ukraine and sending troops to combat areas there. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Kiev's claims, saying that Ukraine has offered no evidence of Russia's alleged involvement in the conflict.

The Minsk agreements, reached in September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, are designed to peacefully end the conflict

Since 2015, Kiev has imposed sanctions on more than 1,700 Russian individuals and over 700 entities.