MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Russia will respond to possible additional restrictions on the access of its goods to the EU market, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. He was speaking at a meeting with the members of the Association of European Businesses (AEB).
Lavrov recalled that the European Commission had prepared a report on significant distortions in the economy of the Russian Federation for the purpose of trade defense investigations.
"The document is openly biased, fraught with additional restrictions on the access of Russian goods to the EU market, which, of course, will not remain unanswered, as you understand," the minister said.
Lavrov also noted that Moscow also has questions as to another initiative by the European Union, which stipulates introduction of carbon border adjustment mechanism not later than January 1, 2023.
"We are still studying what exactly is meant by this initiative, but we do hope that this mechanism will not contradict the norms of the World Trade Organization and will not turn into trade and climate protectionism," he said.
"Even if we take the situation, which is clearly politicized, I think that now is not the time for trade wars," the minister said.
"We would like to avoid the need to introduce retaliatory measures," Lavrov added.