MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is ready to break ties with the European Union if the bloc strikes it with painful economic sanctions, according to extracts from an interview posted on the website of the ministry on Friday.
Relations between Russia and the West are under renewed pressure due to the arrest and imprisonment of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, which has sparked rumors about possible new sanctions.
Three European diplomats told Reuters on Thursday that the European Union would likely impose travel bans and asset freezes on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies, possibly this month, after France and Germany signaled their willingness to move on.
Pressure for sanctions has grown since Moscow angered European countries last week by expelling German, Polish and Swedish diplomats without warning the EU’s foreign policy chief, who was in Moscow for a visit. Paris and Berlin now say there must be an answer.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov was asked in an interview that will be published in full on Friday whether Moscow would now move towards cutting ties with the EU itself.
“We start from the fact that we are ready (for that). In case we see sanctions again imposed in some sectors that create risks for our economy, even in the most sensitive spheres,” said Lavrov.
“We don’t want to isolate ourselves from global life, but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace, prepare for war,” he said.
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew Osborn)