Russia views new U.S. sanctions against Rosneft, Lukoil as counterproductive - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Oct 23 (Interfax) - Moscow considers the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the Rosneft and Lukoil Russian oil companies to be only counterproductive, including in the context of the Ukraine settlement process, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

"We consider this step to be of an exclusively counterproductive nature, including from the point of view of a signal in favor of reaching significant solutions to the Ukraine conflict through negotiations," Zakharova said at a press briefing on Thursday.

"The aforementioned decision of the U.S. Department of the Treasury is not causing any particular problems to us. Our country has developed a durable immunity to Western restrictions," she said.