MOSCOW – Russia is prepared to cut ties with the European Union if the EU imposes new sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the nation's top diplomat warned Friday.
In response to a question on Moscow's willingness to rupture formal relations with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks that Russia doesn't want to be isolated but is ready to retaliate if the EU action hurts its economy. “If we see again, as we have felt more than once, that sanctions imposed in some areas create risks to our economy, including in the most sensitive spheres, then yes," Lavrov said. "We don’t want to be isolated from international life, but we must be ready for that.