U.S. policymakers need to calm down, maybe do some yoga and accept that Crimea is now part of Russia, a senior Russian diplomat said on Thursday in unusually caustic remarks directed at Moscow's former Cold War-era adversary, Reuters reported. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last month has deepened the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War ended two decades ago. The West has imposed sanctions on officials and businessmen believed to be close to President Vladimir Putin. Many of those blacklisted have mocked the sanctions, wearing them as a badge of honour, but they have also rankled Moscow, with officials warning the West was only doing damage to itself. His remarks followed disclosure by U.S. officials that Washington had added space agency NASA to a list of U.S. entities banned from contacting Russian government envoys, a largely symbolic gesture to raise pressure on Russia. -- SPA 20:41 LOCAL TIME 17:41 GMT تغريد
