“We will have to see what sanctions they have devised. We will respond to the sanctions as we have done so far. With these sanctions, they often shoot themselves in the foot, and sometimes even higher,” the diplomat stated this Thursday in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

Grushko recalled that Russia was far from the practice of causing damage or cutting off the branch it is sitting on, but that response measures, both defensive and retaliatory, will be taken.

The official also explained that the EU’s losses due to sanctions against Russia continue to increase. “They are losing, overpaying for everything and making fewer profits. This is severely affecting the European Union economy. Figures published by Eurostat indicate that the recession continues. In some countries, there is a slowdown, in others, the economy is entering negative territory. In some, growth is comparable to the statistical margin of error,” he noted.

On June 11th, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia could be approved next week.

Previously, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the new sanctions package will include a ban on the use of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were sabotaged, the inclusion of banks and oil tankers on the European Union’s blacklist, and a ban on EU countries buying Russian oil.

In addition, Von der Leyen and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, promised to establish new export restrictions for 22 years. companies, not only from Russia, but also from China, Belarus, and other countries, in an attempt to reduce the effectiveness of Russian measures to circumvent sanctions.

Contrary to expectations, the draft 18th sanctions package did not include restrictions against the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear exports.

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