Russia promises to respond to EU sanctions with its own anti-sanctions

Such instruction today Russian PM gave to the deputy premier Sergey Prikhodko.

Proposals on extending Russia’s sanctions in response to EU measures are being studied in the Kremlin, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 23, adding that they will be adopted quickly.

"Yes, they [proposals of Russia’s government on extending food embargo] are being worked out in the presidential administration," TASS quotes Peskov saying. "We expect that the process to work them out will be completed rather immediately and will be documented”.

Peskov explained that "bureaucratic procedures needed for documenting these decisions have to be carried out."

He reminded that Russia has repeatedly said at various levels that in this case "the principle of reciprocity in the sanctions dialogue is a universal constant."

Let us recall that on Monday, the EU Council at the foreign ministers’ level extended the economic sanctions against Russia for six months until January 31, 2016. The decision came into force upon being published in the EU Official Journal on Tuesday.

This came in an effort to implement in full the February 12 Minsk agreements on Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the council’s external affairs service, Susanne Kiefer said.

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Russia’s government will ask the president to extend Moscow’s restrictive measures in response to the EU latest move to prolong sanctions for six months.

Medvedev has ordered deputy premier Sergey Prikhodko to prepare a request to President Vladimir Putin to extend Russia’s counter-sanctions introduced in August 2014 "for this period."

Peskov said on Monday Russia would respond to renewal of European Union’s sanctions on the basis of the reciprocity principle. "We reiterate, the reciprocity principle is the basis of our approach in the exchange of sanctions," he said.