MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Russia will only work with those countries that are ready to develop bilateral relations, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Sunday.
"If they don’t want to work together, Russia, on its part, will also close doors to colleagues from the United States. We will only work with those who is ready and wants to develop relations with Russia," deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, Pyotr Tolstoy, said in an interview with Russia’s TV Channel One.
On April 6, the United States imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and legal entities, including Russia’s biggest arms trader Rosobornexport, Russian Financial Corporation and Rusal. The move was motivated by Crimea’s reunification with Russia, instigation of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, support to the Bashar Assad regime in Syria and illegal activities in the cyber space. The Russian foreign ministry pledged Russia would not leave these sanctions unanswered.
On Friday, a bill on response measures to the unfriendly actions by the United States and/or other foreign states was put on the State Duma’s (lower parliament house) agenda. The bill provides for a ban or restrictions on imports farming products, raw materials and food, tobaccos and alcohol originating from the United States and/or other unfriendly countries. The ban is applicable to medicines, with a reservation that it does not cover medicines with no Russia-manufactures analogues. Russia’s countersanction will cover consulting and audit companies with foreign capital accounting for more than 25% Such companies will be banned to offer their services to Russian government companies. Apart from that, companies with the United States’ controlling more than 25% of authorized capital will be denied access to privatization of property.