MOSCOW, July 23 (RIA Novosti) – Protectionism is hidden behind sanctions against Russia in the interests of certain companies, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
“What’s going on today is that protectionism in the interests of very distinct companies is hiding behind sanctions. And this is being done in contradiction to their own obligations that each country accepted when joining the WTO,” Medvedev said during a meeting with the heads of trade missions.
Such policy is "unacceptable," the prime minister added.
Medvedev added that the Russian government needs to follow cases of discrimination of Russian companies and protect their interests.
“We cannot allow others to support their economy on our account or at our loss,” the Russian prime minister stressed.
Earlier this year, the United Stated and the European Union imposed targeted sanctions against a number of Russian officials and companies as a response to Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
Last week, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. Washington blamed the crash on independence supporters and has been pushing the EU to implement further sanctions against Moscow.
On Tuesday, the European Commission agreed to introduce a new package of sanctions targeting Russia’s financial and defense sectors on July 24. Russia’s envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov after attending the European foreign ministers meeting called the sanctions “a road to nowhere.”
