April 24 (Reuters) – Russian diplomats early on Friday denounced the latest European Union sanctions imposed on Moscow in connection with its invasion of Ukraine, saying the new measures lacked U.N. legitimacy and infringed the rights of third countries.
Russian news agencies quoted a statement by diplomats at Russia’s mission to the European Union as saying the measures were meaningless without a decision from the U.N. Security Council.
“We would like to remind you that only sanctions imposed by the decision of the U.N. Security Council are legitimate,” state news agency TASS quoted the statement as saying.
“All others are unilateral coercive measures, and essentially — arbitrariness and aggression that contradict international law and the U.N. Charter.”
RIA news agency said the statement accused the EU of restricting exports of specific goods to a number of countries cooperating with Russia and said this was “resorting to economic blackmail and extraterritorial application of sanctions”.
The EU adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine after Slovakia and Hungary dropped their opposition to the move following the resumption of flows through the Druzhba oil pipeline.
The EU had initially aimed to adopt the package to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
(Reporting by Reuters)
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