Russia says it has no intention of entering a ‘sanctions war’ with other countries

Speaking to RT TV channel, Mr. Birichevsky said: “We will take retaliatory measures. We have taken countermeasures in some areas, but have no intention of engaging in a sanctions war or enacting hysterical sanctions.“.

Mr. Birichevsky noted that Russia understands that sanctions are a double-edged sword and thinks that a country that imposes sanctions can suffer even more damage.

The official added: “As for the impact on the Russian economy, these moves are fairly predictable. We have the experience and time to prepare for sanctions. You can see how quickly our economy has adapted to the sanctions that have been in place since 2014“.

The United States and the EU have imposed a variety of sanctions against Russia since Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, including the seizure of foreign assets of Russia, a ban on coal imports. Russia, banned travel and froze the assets of many high-ranking officials as well as many of the country’s financiers.

Earlier on April 13, Russia announced that it had imposed sanctions on 398 US congressmen in response to the sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the country planned to announce more sanctions in the near future.