Updated 11:54 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that Western partners tested Russia for durability by imposing sanctions, and the country's response should not be based on simple solutions that undermine its democratic development.
“When some of our, in a manner of speaking, partners, or neighbors, test Russia’s durability for sanctions and different types of threats, it is very important not to be tempted by simple solutions and to continue preserving and develop democratic processes in our society and in our state,” the prime minister said.
The European Union and the United States introduced a new round of sanctions against Russia last week, targeting the country's largest banks, energy and defense companies, as well as individuals.
Building on earlier measures, the sanctions target Russian access to capital markets, ban the sale of dual use equipment to nearly a dozen Russian companies, and add dozens of people to the list of those facing travel and financial restrictions.
In response to the new restrictions, Russia warned that it could introduce protective measures, which may affect machine-building, petrochemical and automotive sectors, as well as restrictions on imports of used cars and textile products.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that Moscow will introduce measures in response to new Western sanctions only to protect Russia's interests.
Russia has already introduced a ban on certain food imports from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway as a counter-measure to previous rounds of sanctions that the United States and the European Union have introduced over the past few months, unjustifiably blaming Moscow for meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, stressing that and said that sanctions are an ineffective tool which threatens international peace and stability and runs counter to the principles of international law.
