SOCHI. Sept 13 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said at talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that the sanctions by the U.S. and European countries on the Syrian government are counterproductive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"It was stressed that the sanctions that the United States and European countries have imposed on the legitimate Syrian government are absolutely counterproductive," Lavrov told journalists following the Russian-Israeli talks on Thursday evening.
Russia managed to strike a responsive chord with Israel on the matter, he said.