OREANDA-NEWS. The European Union rejects retaliatory sanctions from Russia, EU spokesman Peter Stano told reporters of the news agency RIA Novosti. A day before, the Russian Federation expanded the blacklist of EU representatives who are prohibited from entering the country.

The politician urged to clarify with the Russian Foreign Ministry the reason for introducing restrictive measures and their legal basis. According to Stano, Brussels rejects retaliatory sanctions, announced by Russia, as well as other restrictions, in particular in the agricultural sector, because they are unjustified. He explained that in the case of EU sanctions, the listing is targeted, and it complies with international law. European sanctions, he explained, are aimed at changing certain behaviour.

Moscow explained the introduction of restrictions by the fact that Brussels “continues to expand its sanctions instruments and apply them under far-fetched and sometimes absurd pretexts.” The message did not specify in response to what exactly Russia decided to expand restrictive measures. However, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, immediately after the announcement of new sanctions, told about “disinformation campaign around the situation with the Russian citizen [Aleksey] Navalny.”