Russia has announced that it will take "effective and harsh" measures in response to the European Union's latest package of sanctions.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova addressed the issue during a press briefing, stating that Moscow categorically rejects the unilateral restrictions imposed by the West, labeling them as illegal.
"Russia firmly condemns any illegal unilateral coercive measures. We will respond to the EU's latest sanctions package with effective and harsh countermeasures," Zakharova emphasized.
The diplomat argued that the sanctions adopted by Brussels have failed to influence Russia's sovereign policy, a stance she claims is increasingly supported by other nations globally. Zakharova further suggested that EU decision-making structures are struggling to find alternative diplomatic approaches, leading them to rely on the continuous escalation of sanctions.
The spokesperson also alleged that the EU's sanctions policy is causing international discontent, with European officials facing criticism from various countries over their approach. Zakharova concluded that Moscow will continue to implement retaliatory measures to protect its national interests.
The European Union has been implementing successive rounds of sanctions against Russia since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, targeting various sectors of the Russian economy, including energy, finance, and technology. These measures are designed to limit Moscow's ability to fund its military operations, though Russia consistently maintains that such policies are ineffective and detrimental to the global economy.
