Moscow will take "appropriate measures" in response to possible new sanctions from the European Union, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said, reports GHN based on RT.
Aleksandr Lukashevich said that the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine in July has been used as a pretext by the West to push through economic sanctions against Russia.
However, the true reasons behind the tragedy may not be revealed at all due to external pressure on the international commission investigating the MH17 crash, he said.
"It seems that the international commission - under pressure by certain Western powers - is deliberately delaying the investigation and not executing its duties, which is obvious to any aviation expert. As a result, the reasons for the tragedy may not be established and not announced at all," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said.
The EU has said that it will implement sanctions against Russia on Friday, which will reportedly includeeconomic measures against Russia's energy sector.
EU leaders first said they would unleash the latest round of sanctions on September 9, but instead waited to gauge the effectiveness of the ceasefire agreed on September 5 by the Ukrainian government and rebel forces.
Many heads of state, including Chancellor Merkel, said the European Commission will have the ability to suspend the new economic restrictions if the ceasefire in Ukraine continues to keep peace.
In response to the EU's previous set of sanctions that targeted banks, energy, and weaponry, Moscowintroduced a one-year food embargo against the US, EU, Norway, Australia, and Canada that is estimated to block $9 billion worth of agricultural exports to Russia.