MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Russia will be able to devise a “significant” retaliation if the European Union expands sanctions, the chairman of the State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Alexey Pushkov, said.

“Russia has never denied that if EU sanctions expand, more counter-measures may be taken,” Pushkov told a news conference on Thursday. “At this point, I would not speculate what sort of measures may ensue. In general, we are against an exchange of sanctions. We believe that they harm the economies of Russia and the European Union.”

However, “if sanctions against Russia grow wider, I believe that Russia will be taking significant steps,” Pushkov said.