MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. The Kremlin needs time to study the MPs’ proposal on anti-sanctions: any measures should not harm Russia’s interests, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We haven’t studied in detail the essence of the proposed package of anti-sanctions yet; some time will be needed for it, but in any case we can assume that any measures that will be taken will not harm the Russian national interests. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin repeatedly stated that these interests are a priority when making such decisions," the Kremlin spokesman said.
In his opinion, "our parliamentarians’ interest in the issue of countering the unfriendly sanctions policy that some states are conducting against our country can be accounted for, and it is clear that the MPs are working on the issue of minimizing the effects of these restrictions for our country and on retaliatory measures." He restated that the Russian presidential administration would "need time to analyze the lawmakers’ opinion, this lawmaking initiative in order to formulate some position later."
Responding to a question on whether the interests of Russian citizens as consumers of certain products will be affected, Peskov stressed that "this is a uniform understanding - the interests of the citizens and the interests of the country."
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin reported the introduction of the draft law. The initiative "was designed as a retaliatory measure against the challenges mounted by the US and its officials in the form of unfriendly and non-constructive actions, as well as the introduction of sanctions against Russia in general, its citizens and legal entities." He added that a procedure for studying the draft law would be discussed on April 16 at a special session of the State Duma Council.