Moscow 'Has No Desire' to Pursue War with Sanctions - FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized his country does not want to continue  the war of sanctions currently ongoing between Moscow and the West.

In an interview with Russian TV station Pyatiy Kanal, Lavrov said his country has no intentions to impose restrictions just as a tool "to tease somebody, as it happens with our partners when they adopt coercive measures".

Lavrov stressed Russia-US relations needed a second restart.

"We are interested in a normalization of relations, but it is not we who are severing them."

He accused Washington of applying double standards with regard to the war on terror.

The EU and US have applied a number of rounds of sanctions targeting Russian officials and, lately, key sectors of the country's economy over Moscow's stance on the Ukraine crisis.

In retaliation Russia has banned imports from most Western countries, the entire EU included.