MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has questioned the legitimacy of the Western sanctions against Russia.
“The unilateral sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia are illegitimate, they undermine the stability of the world economy and they have nothing to do with the de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine,” Lavrov said at a meeting in the Foreign Ministry on Nov. 28.
“It is also obvious that the restrictive measures hurt both sides. In some European countries, the voices of those who are unhappy with the negative impact of the restrictions on the national economies and the interests of businesses that are oriented at the Russian market are becoming increasingly loud,” Lavrov said.
“We are hoping that common sense will eventually prevail,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov said Russia is hoping to continue its economic relations with the EU countries at the level of regions despite the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU.
“Despite the difficult situation in the relations with the EU, we believe it is important to continue maintaining the current relations with our partners in Europe at the level of the regions. Local authorities of the EU countries appear to have a more balanced position than the Brussels bureaucrats, and they are trying to maintain the contacts,” Lavrov said.
