Continuing sanction pressure on Russia will only deteriorate the Ukrainian crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to RIA Novosti.

“It is obvious that the continuation of sanction pressure on Russia will not help resolve the internal crisis in Ukraine but will rather deepen the confrontation and complicate dialogue,” Lavrov said in an interview with El Pais newspaper published on Wednesday, Sept 17.

The minister stressed that Russia reserves the right to take action to protect its legitimate interests, including in national security.