Russia: US sanctions insult common sense

Moscow has rejected US and EU sanctions imposed against Russian officials over the crisis in Ukraine, saying they reflect the West’s own weak policies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday that sanctions on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis lacks common sense.

“We reject sanctions in any form, in particular those sanctions adopted by the United States and the European Union against all common sense regarding the events in Ukraine,” Lavrov said.

The statement comes as the White House announced that the US was imposing its third round of sanctions, targeting seven senior Russian officials and 17 companies linked to President Vladimir Putin’s “inner circle.”

The EU also added travel bans and asset freezes for Russian nationals and pro-Russian Ukrainian figures.

Following the West, Japan decided to impose visa bans on about two dozen Russians over the crisis in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Moscow will definitely respond to the sanctions imposed by Tokyo, which was “obviously taken under foreign influence and directly opposite to statements by Tokyo on the importance of the development of relations with Russia.”

Tensions between Western powers and Moscow heightened after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and became part of Russia following a referendum on March 16, in which almost 97 percent of the participants voted for rejoining the Russian Federation, with a turnout of over 83 percent.