Russia described "sanctions rhetoric" as destructive on Friday, March 20, and said it would do what is in its national interests after European Union leaders kept economic sanctions in place over the Ukraine crisis, according to Reuters.

In comments to reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also accused Kiev of violating the terms of a peace deal for eastern Ukraine that was agreed in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

"We prefer to engage in creative matters, not destructive matters such as sanctions rhetoric. So we do not discuss sanctions and the Russian Federation will do what is in its national interests," he said.