Lavrov: Tariffs Imposed by U.S. on Other Countries are Sanctions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov believes that the tariffs imposed by the United States on other countries are also sanctions, RIA Novosti informs citing his comments.

"ASEAN countries are interested in cooperation with Russia, regardless of what is happening in the West and what the United States or the allies are doing to them. Friendship with Russia began long before the current U.S. administration started imposing sanctions. And let's consider that in the form of tariffs - these are also sanctions," Lavrov said on July 11 following the Russia-ASEAN meeting and the East Asia Summit.

According to him, the development of Moscow's relations with ASEAN and cooperation within BRICS do not contain a "response" to anything.

"But if you have a choice: either to trade in the context of an association where no unfair methods of suppressing competitors are used, on the one hand. And on the other hand, to trade with those who will blackmail you, then, probably, an obvious conclusion offers itself," the minister emphasized.