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Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during the meeting with his authorized representatives ahead of the presidential elections in March at the Gostiny Dvor shopping mall in Moscow Zane Gonzalez Browns Jersey , Russia, Jan. 30, 2018. (XinhuaWu Zhuang)
MOSCOW, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia is still ready to mend tieswith the United States despite the prospect of new sanctionsbrought by Washington's newly released "Kremlin list," RussianPresident Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.


The U.S. Treasury Department late Monday published a list of 114Russian political figures and 96 business leaders widely seen aspotential targets for new sanctions, although the documentspecifies that it should not be interpreted as a sanctionslist.


"It is definitely an unfriendly act. It complicates Russia-U.S.relations, which are in a difficult situation even without this,and it also causes damage to the international relations ingeneral," Putin said at a meeting with the trustees of hispresidential campaign.


While underscoring that Russia cannot "surrender positionsendlessly," the president said that Moscow is not interested insevering ties with Washington.


Instead, it wanted to develop stable relations with Washingtonbased on international law and the two major nuclear powers areexpected by their peoples to "build up their ties in a modern waywith respect to each other," he said.


"We are not going to pick a fight and to aggravate thesituation. We want and will be building relations patiently, as faras the other side is ready, the American side in this case," Putinsaid.


He said Moscow had expected the publication of the list and wasready to take steps in response, which "could drive our relationstowards an absolute zero."


However, Russia would refrain from such steps for the time beingand would attentively monitor the development of the situation,Putin said.


According to the Treasury, each figure in the "Kremlin report"has an estimated net worth of 1 billion U.S. dollars.


The document also has classified annexes, which includeindividuals with a lower official position or with a net worthbelow 1 billion dollars, as well as companies with state ownershipof at least 25 percent and with 2016 revenues of 2 billion dollarsor more. Enditem


The Kremlin said on Monday it did not regard opposition leader Alexei Navalny as a political threat to the upcoming presidential election and that protests he had organized on Sunday had been sparsely attended in places.


Navalny, who has been barred from running over what he says is a trumped-up suspended prison sentence, has called on voters to boycott what he says will be a rigged election on March 18.


Opinion polls show incumbent President Vladimir Putin is on track to be easily re-elected.


Though unlikely to influence the result, Navalny's call for a boycott attracted thousands of protesters to rallies across Russia on Sunday, which saw the opposition leader detained by the police for several hours.


Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Monday it was unlikely that anyone could compete with Putin in the race.


"Putin is an absolute leader in the public's opinion, a leader of the political Olympus, with whom at this stage it is unlikely anyone could compete," Peskov said.


He said some of the protests had been thinly attended.


Asked whether the Kremlin considered Navalny a threat, Peskov said "no."


Around 1,500 protesters converged at a square adjacent to the Kremlin on Sunday, with hundreds also attending rallies in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-biggest city, in Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountains, and other major centers.


Moments after Navalny appeared at Sunday's rally in Moscow he was wrestled into a patrol wagon and taken into detention.


He was released around midnight without charges, his lawyer Olga Mikhailova said, but would face court at a later date.


(Agencies)




SYDNEY， Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's prime minister and the premier of Victoria have announced a multi-million dollar package to save a smelting plant in western Victoria.


PM Malcolm Turnbull was joined by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in announcing a 173 million-U.S. dollar package that will keep the Alcoa aluminum smelting plant in Portland， in far-western Victoria， open.


The rescue package， to which the Federal Government contributed 22 million U.S. dollars， will save thousands of Victorian jobs.


The smelter， which is owned and operated by American giant Alcoa， has been operating at one third of its capacity since a transmission fault cut power to its potlines in December with many staff forced to take leave over the Christmas period.


In announcing the package in Portland on Friday， Turnbull said his government was committed to helping Alcoa and its employees get back on their feet.


"We've seen all those pots that were frozen and how they'll be cleaned out， starting today，" Turnbull said.


"And that is enabled by a (22 million US dollar) grant that the Federal Government is making to Alcoa to enable you to get those lines back into production， to get this plant operating at the full potential， the full capacity that will be maintained by the company in order to secure and retain the grant that is being made ... right through till 2021."


Greg Hunt， Australia's industry minister， and Wade Noonan， his Victorian counterpart， travelled to Alcoa's New York headquarters in December to negotiate the future of the smelting plant.


Alcoa employs approximately 2，000 people in the region， almost a quarter of Portland's population， making it easily the region's biggest employer and taxpayer.


David Thomas， a delegate from the Australian Workers Union (AWU)， said even with the money it would take a significant amount of time to restore the plant to its full oper. Cheap Nike Huarache All Black Cheap Nike Huarache All Black Cheap Nike Huarache Green Jordan 1 For Sale Jordan 4 For Sale Jordan 11 Shoes For Sale Jordan 13 Shoes For Sale Air Jordan 6 For Sale Jordan 9 Shoes For Sale Jordan 5 Shoes For Sale