“We can only reiterate our regret regarding what is happening and confirm the inevitability of negative consequences from severe restrictions against us for the Western initiators of such measures,” he said.
According to him, none of the parties is interested in such a development of events.
Pankin added that Moscow regards the numerous threats to impose sanctions as "a counterproductive escalation of the information background around Russia," including "through the prism of the Ukrainian story."
Also, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Western countries are ready to come up with a reason for sanctions against Russia.