Russia ready to break ties with EU if crippling sanctions imposed, Lavrov warns

The European Union is working on a proposal to sanction Moscow over the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny

‘If you want peace you have to prepare for war,’ Foreign Minister Lavrov says

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:11pm, 12 Feb 2021Updated: 7:26pm, 12 Feb 2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Moscow is ready for a break in ties with the European Union if the bloc imposes sanctions that damage his country’s economy.

“We’re ready for that,” Lavrov said in an interview on the Solovyev Live YouTube channel on Friday. “If we see again, as has happened many times before, that sanctions are imposed that pose risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive areas.”

Russia’s top diplomat added: “We don’t want to isolate ourselves from peaceful life but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace you have to prepare for war.”

The 27-member EU is working on a proposal to sanction Russia over the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

Navalny, who suffered a near-fatal nerve-agent attack he and Western governments blamed on Russia’s secret services, was sentenced to two years and eight months on February 2 for violating the probation terms of an earlier suspended fraud conviction.

Tensions between Moscow and Brussels are rising following EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s visit to the Russian capital last week, when Lavrov used a joint press conference to disparage the bloc as an unreliable partner.