Russia's Trade With China, India Increasing Despite Western Sanctions: Lavrov

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's trade with China and India is increasing due to a growing number of goods categories, despite Western sanctions against Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"Our trade with China for eight months increased by a third, the trade with India for six months grew by 120%," Lavrov told Russian weekly newspaper Argumenty i Fakty.

Sanctions are not an obstacle to the development of economic relations between the countries, the minister noted, adding that an increasing number of categories of exported and imported goods was one of the reasons for such a trade growth.

"And it is quite natural. Many foreign companies are trying to fill in niches after Western businesses left the Russian market," Lavrov said.

Commenting on the new sanctions package recently imposed by the EU against Russia, the Russian minister said that Moscow had means to protect its national interests and could use them "if necessary."

Earlier, the EU agreed on the eighth package of sanctions against Russia. Western countries and their allies have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow over its special operation in Ukraine. The measures included freezing Russia's foreign currency reserves and halting international payments from Russian banks.