Russian FM says Western sanctions are counterproductive

Sanctions imposed by the West lead to a deadlock in finding solutions to existing issues creating additional obstacles along the the way, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

 

"Regarding the sanctions, we strongly oppose such an approach and consider them to be counterproductive. The spiral of sanctions leads to deadlock. It does not help resolve the problems, but rather creates obstacles to their solution. Since the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the associated countries are aimed, among other things, at worsening conditions for Russian agricultural producers, we were forced to take protective measures in response to protect them from unfair competition," Lavrov said in an interview with the Verdens Gang (VG) Norwegian newspaper.

Over the past few months, the United States and a number of its allies, including the European Union, have introduced several rounds of economic sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in Ukraine's internal affairs.

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Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations and called the measures counterproductive.