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His country is determined to do so, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview, excerpts of which were posted on his ministry’s website on Friday.
“We don’t want to be isolated from world life, but we must be prepared for that. If you want peace, you have to prepare for war,” Lavrov said.
An excerpt from his interview with Vladimir Solovyov is posted on a Russian Foreign Ministry account on YouTube.
Lavrov was asked if Russia is getting close to breaking relations with the European Union.
“We will start with the fact that we are ready. If we go back to see what we have felt more than once, that in one area or another there is a threat of sanctions that threaten our economy, including the most sensitive areas, then – yes”, said the Minister.
According to Lavrov, Russia does not want to be isolated from “world life”, but must be prepared for it. “Wanting peace is a preparation for war,” Lavrov said.
Russia-EU relations have notably cooled down recently due to the imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navaln.
Three EU diplomats told Reuters that Brussels was considering freezing the accounts of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies and issuing a travel ban.
Recently, France and Germany have indicated that they will support the sanctions. According to the sources, the sanctions could be announced later this month.
In the Russia-EU conflict over Navaln, the tone has sharpened dramatically recently. Russia sent EU diplomats a week ago, just as the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Moscow.
Work is underway in the European Union on possible new sanctions against Russia, but at this stage the process is confidential and cumbersome, said Peter Stano, a spokesman for Borrell, head of community diplomacy.
“We do not normally provide information or comments on any procedure before the EU Council bodies,” Stano said.
However, he recalled what Borrell said after last week’s visit to Moscow: “Russia seems to be distancing itself more and more from Europe and seeing democratic values as an existential threat.”
“We will discuss these issues with my fellow EU Foreign Ministers (at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on February 22). As always, Member States will have to decide next steps and yes, there may be sanctions. Also, We have another instrument that has emerged from the recent adoption of the EU sanctions regime in the field of human rights.
“With regard to possible sanctions, work continues. However, the process of preparation, discussion and approval of the lists is confidential, so we will not comment on anything else,” he explained.
Mr. Stano added that decisions on these matters are made unanimously.
Russia said on Thursday that if the European Union announced new sanctions on Moscow for the imprisonment of opposition Alexei Navaln and the crackdown on protesters, it would respond to the bloc with the same.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said earlier this week that he would propose to the bloc to impose new sanctions on Russia, condemning Navaln’s imprisonment and crackdown.
Borrell’s comments came as he addressed the European Parliament after a thought-provoking visit to Russia last week, during which the Kremlin ousted three European diplomats.
“I would like to warn our EU partners not to take hasty action,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Thursday.
According to her, any new sanction “will inevitably have a proportionate response.”
Navalno’s comrades called on the EU to impose specific sanctions on oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they accuse of protecting their assets and financing his regime.
The EU’s relations with Moscow have been strained since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and began inciting war in Ukraine.
Tensions between the EU and Russia have risen dramatically since Navaln’s arrest and imprisonment.
On January 17, A. Navalnas returned to Russia from Germany, where he was treated with the nerve-paralyzing substance “Novičiok” created by Soviet scientists after his poisoning in August.
The opposition blamed Russian poisoning and Putin for the poisoning.
Navaln was arrested as soon as he arrived at one of Moscow’s airports, and the move sparked mass demonstrations in many Russian cities, during which more than 10,000 people were detained by security forces. people. The police have been accused of abuse of power and unnecessary violence for this repression of protests.
Last week, Navaln was sent to prison for nearly three years for violating the conditions of his sentence while receiving treatment in Germany.
Leonid Volkov, head of Navaln’s regional network, called on opposition supporters to show their support Sunday night and turn on the phone flashlights for 15 minutes at home.
EU foreign ministers will discuss criminal measures and possible sanctions against the Kremlin at a meeting on February 22.
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