Lavrov: EU and US sanctions are illegitimate

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in the State Duma today, said that U.S. and EU sanctions are illegitimate because the UN Security Council did not take any enforcement action against the Russian Federation.

"Unilateral sanctions never brought any good, they are illegitimate, the UN Security Council is the only body that can take coercive measures. The UN Security Council did not take such measures," said Lavrov, quoted by ITAR-TASS.

Lavrov said that today only those states that provide equal rights for all peoples can count on their territorial integrity - which can't be said about Ukraine.

"The right to self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter. This principle is traditionally interpreted in global practice as part of the general provisions, including the territorial integrity," the minister argued the right of Crimea to join Russia.