MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is ready to cut ties with the European Union if the bloc hits it with painful economic sanctions, according to an interview released Friday on the ministry’s website. has been posted.
Relations between Russia and the West have come under renewed strain over the arrest and imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has sparked talks about possible new sanctions.
Three European diplomats told Reuters on Thursday that the European Union would likely impose a travel ban and asset freeze on allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as this month, after France and Germany indicated their willingness to move forward.
The pressure on sanctions has increased since Moscow enraged European countries last week by expelling German, Polish and Swedish diplomats without telling the EU foreign policy chief, who was in Moscow for a visit. Paris and Berlin now say there must be a response.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was asked in an interview to be published in full later on Friday whether Moscow would now cut ties with the EU itself.
“We assume that we are ready. In case we see sanctions again in some sectors that pose risks to our economy, including in the most sensitive areas,” Lavrov said.
“We don’t want to separate ourselves from worldly life, but we have to be ready for it. If you want peace, prepare for war,” he said.
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Tom Balmforth; edited by Andrew Osborn)