Russian foreign minister "rejects" U.S., EU sanctions over Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected U.S. and European Union sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, saying the sanctions lacked common sense and were the result of the West's own weak policies.
  
"We reject sanctions in any of our relationships, in particular those sanctions that were sponsored by the United States and the European Union, which are against all common sense, regarding the events in Ukraine," Lavrov said in remarks in Havana before beginning a closed-door session with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Also on Tuesday, Russia voiced disappointment over Japan's decision to impose visa bans on 23 people over the crisis in Ukraine and promised to respond to what it called a "clumsy step" taken by Tokyo under pressure from the West.
  
"Tokyo's decision ... is viewed with disappointment and, naturally, will not go unanswered," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.
 
"This clumsy step was clearly taken under outside pressure and goes against Tokyo's declarations about the importance of developing ... relations with Russia. We want to underscore: It is counterproductive to speak to us in the language of sanctions."

This comes as Interfax news agency quoted the speaker of the upper house of parliament as saying that Russia is working on a response to new sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United states and the European Union over the crisis in Ukraine.
  
"After the second wave of sanctions, the government is developing measures in response, first evaluating the potential damage to our economy," Interfax quoted Federation Council speaker Valentina Matviyenko as saying. "Such unfriendly attacks ... cannot be left without a response and I believe there must certainly be a response."

Russia criticized new European Union sanctions imposed on Russian officials over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, saying the EU was under following Washington's lead and should be ashamed of itself.
  
"Instead of forcing the Kiev clique to sit at the table with southeastern Ukraine to negotiate the future structure of the country, our partners are doing Washington's bidding with new unfriendly gestures aimed at Russia," the Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier, the European Union said it had imposed asset freezes and travel bans on 15 Russians, including a deputy prime minister, Dmitry Nikolayevich Kozak, and a deputy chairman of the State Duma, Ludmila Ivanovna Shvetsova.
  
Others on the list released on Tuesday include Valery Vasilevich Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, as well as separatist leaders.

Gazprom

Russia's top natural gas producer, Gazprom, said on Tuesday there has been no decision on whether to invest in the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia from Ukraine last month.
  
"At this point in time there is no decision in terms of projects or funds made available to invest in Crimea," Alexander Ivannikov, deputy head of Gazprom's finance and economy department, told a conference call.
  
The authorities in Crimea have suggested Gazprom could participate in the peninsula's energy sector and take part in a possible tender to acquire the Chernomorneftegaz energy firm. The United States imposed sanctions on the Crimea-based gas company earlier this month.

Gazprom said earlier that any expansion of the Western-imposed sanctions over Moscow's actions in Ukraine could lead to adverse consequences for its business and shares.

REUTERS