MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) — Russia will take legal action, if necessary, in response to the violation of commitments by its international partners, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We will continue insisting that our partners avoid violating their international commitments, although they are already violating them," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia's Kommersant newspaper published on Thursday.
"We will take appropriate legal action whenever it's necessary," the minister added.
Following Crimea's reunification with Russia, the United States and its allies have introduced several rounds of sanctions over Russia’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis — claims repeatedly denied by Moscow. The restrictive measures target Russia's defense, banking and energy sectors.
The latest round of sanctions against Russia was imposed by the European Union, the United States and Canada last week.
Russia has repeatedly referred to Western sanctions as illegal and counterproductive.
In August, Russia introduced a year-long ban on some food imports from the countries that had sanctioned Russia, including EU member-states, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway.
