Russia says new EU sanctions will hurt developing countries


Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends a joint news conference of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW, April 24 (Reuters) - ⁠Russia said on Friday that new ⁠European Union sanctions on its oil ‌and gas would hurt developing countries and the EU itself, and promised to retaliate.

The EU adopted a ​20th package of sanctions against ⁠Russia over Moscow's ⁠war in Ukraine on Thursday, including further restrictions ⁠on ‌the transportation of Russian oil and gas and sanctions against ⁠oil producers and refineries.

"All this is happening ​amid a ‌global energy crisis and resource shortages ⁠that are ​being acutely felt in most regions of the world," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria ⁠Zakharova told reporters at her ​weekly press conference.

"By attempting to further destabilize energy markets, Brussels is hurting both itself and ⁠developing countries, which are no longer able to afford energy at artificially inflated prices."

She said the sanctions also threatened food security ​as they included restrictions ⁠on fertilisers.

"We will take retaliatory measures. They ​will be tough, designed in ‌accordance with our interests," ​Zakharova added.

(Reporting by Filipp Lebedev; Writing by Mark Trevelyan and Anastasia Teterevleva)

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