"We are ready to cut ties if it happens on the initiative of the EU. For our part, we strongly call on the EU to establish equal and mutually respectful cooperation, which is what [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov] said," the ministry noted, The Tass News Agency reported.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Soloviev LIVE Youtube channel that Moscow does not rule out the possibility of cutting ties with the EU if Brussels introduces sanctions that create risks for sensitive sectors of the Russian economy.
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Russia is ready to sever ties with the EU if the bloc imposes new, economically painful sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.
ReplyDeleteThe EU has raised the prospect of further sanctions amid a row over the treatment of the jailed Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
When an interviewer asked if Russia was heading for a "break" with the EU, Mr Lavrov said "we're ready for that".
"If you want peace, prepare for war," he said.
He said a break in ties could be triggered by EU sanctions that "create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive areas".
"We don't want to isolate ourselves from world affairs, but we have to be prepared for that." He was speaking on the Russian YouTube channel Solovyov Live.
In the past week Russia and the EU have expelled three of each other's diplomats in a tit-for-tat dispute centering on the Navalny case.