Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday, Dec 10, that Western sanctions over Ukraine were harmful for the Russian economy, but that Western economies were also affected.

"(Sanctions) damage the economies and companies of the countries imposing sanctions just as much as (they damage ours)," he said in an interview with Russian media, according to Reuters.

Western powers have introduced economic sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, ranging from asset freezes to bans on access to foreign capital by Russian companies. Moscow banned certain food imports from the European Union in response.