Sharjah 24 – Reuters: The Kremlin said on Wednesday it would retaliate with reciprocal measures to sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union over Moscow's treatment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would respond to the sanctions in a way that best served its interests.

"Of course it's impossible not to apply the principle of reciprocity," Peskov said, when asked how Russia would respond to the latest sanctions.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against seven senior Russian officials, among them the head of its FSB security service. Washington acted in concert with the European Union, which imposed largely symbolic sanctions on four senior Russian officials close to Putin.

Peskov warned that the sanctions would have a destructive effect on Russia's bilateral relations with both the United States and the European Union.