Russia says EU blackmailed by Washington into tougher sanctions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said it was disappointed that the European Union "succumbed to the blackmail of the U.S. administration and, contradicting its own interests, followed the path of sanctions" against Moscow. Washington and Brussels, which accuse Moscow of fanning separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, introduced the toughest sanctions yet on Russia on Wednesday. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Thomas Grove, writing by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Thomas Grove)