Russia's Lavrov says U.S. sanctions counter-productive

U.S. sanctions against Russia are counter-productive but Moscow is ready for dialogue once the U.S. side is ready for talks with mutual respect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, Reuters reported citing TASS state news agency.

“Not for the first time we highlight that the permanent buildup of sanctions pressure without any facts that would justify such sanctions is counter-productive and push relations into an impasse,” Lavrov said.

“Once our partners are ready to talk on the basis of mutual respect and considering (mutual) interests, we are always ready for such dialogue,” he said.