Russia will respond to EU sanctions over Navalny situation - Russian senator
MOSCOW. Oct 12 (Interfax) - The countries of the European Union are demonstrating irresponsible conduct by threatening to impose sanctions on Russia over the situation surrounding Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, and Moscow will respond, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee Vladimir Dzhabarov said.
"We assess this conduct of our European so-called partners as absolutely irresponsible, because they are introducing sanctions in connection with cases on which there are no court rulings. There isn't any evidence or documented data, either. Rather, there are only some general words, some references, but there's nothing specific," Dzhabarov told Interfax on Monday when commenting on reports about the EU's plans to impose sanctions on Russia over the Navalny incident.
"I think that we'll respond. This cannot go unpunished," he said.
Sanctions are a "contagious thing, like Covid-19," he said.
"Americans have infected their partners in Europe, and today Europeans are acting even faster than Americans in introducing these sanctions. The point of these sanctions and what they're doing this for, putting a further strain on our relations, is totally beyond my understanding," Dzhabarov said.
Should these sanctions be adopted, Moscow's response to them will be symmetric, Dzhabarov said, adding at the same time that these matters are within the remit of the Russian Foreign Ministry.