Russian FM dismisses Turchynov’s calls for new sanctions against Russia

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Statements made by Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov on possible deployment of missile defense components in Ukraine and his calls for strengthening sanctions on Russia are just rhetoric, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday.

"I have not heard this statement, as I was speaking at the Federation Council," the Russian foreign minister said. "I think there’s little sense in reading such things. They are prospectless, counterproductive and are just rhetoric," he said.

Turchynov said previously that he did not rule out consultations on the deployment of missile defense components the country for "the protection against Russia’s nuclear threat."

"Not violating international agreements, we are restoring our nuclear shield, the main task of which is defence from the Russian aggression," Turchinov told the Ukrinform news agency in an interview. "I do not exclude that in order to defend ourselves from the nuclear threat we’ll have to conduct consultations on the missile defence system components’ deployment in the Ukrainian territory. Preventing a war with the use of nuclear weapons is the common responsibility of all goodwill people to the planet."

Turchynov has again accused Moscow of deploying nuclear weapons in Crimea. According to him, in this situation it is necessary to develop "interaction and system-based cooperation between all the world’s leading countries." "This should be a complex of economic, political and military measures. Also, the considerable strengthening of the common nuclear threat protection system and the deployment of additional positions of the missile defense system are needed," the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council chief said.

In addition, Turchynov urged the West to block the passage of Russian ships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits and disconnect Russia from the SWIFT banking system.