MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - Western countries' decision to impose sanctions on Russia is irrational and will result in the emergence of additional obstacles in international cooperation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"They are aware that, as far as we are concerned, these sanctions are absolutely unlawful, and they will only lead to the creation of artificial and unneeded barriers hampering our normal contacts and our communication," he said in the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia's parliament, on Friday.
"Our stance on this matter remains unchanged. I am confident of it and I keep telling my colleagues that this is simply irrational," he said.
Russia is still prepared to engage in efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, Lavrov said.
"We do not have to persuade anyone that we are ready for that. We advocated a political solution from the very beginning," he said.