Russia warns of action over Western sanctions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow “will not rush to do anything stupid” but will consider action if Western sanctions linked to the Ukraine crisis are maintained.

Ukraine’s armed forces are on “full combat alert” against a possible Russian invasion, Kiev says, in what has escalated into the most serious rupture between the West and Moscow since the Cold War.

The US and EU this week slapped another round of sanctions on Moscow, but pro-Kremlin insurgents have tightened their grip on the increasingly chaotic east of Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference in Santiago after meeting his Chilean counterpart, Lavrov said: “We want to give our fellow governments the opportunity to calm down.”

Appearing to speak directly to Washington, he added: “However, if your actions continue… in this case we would study the situation.

“The United States is not interested in the Ukraine crisis so much as they want to show things should work the way they say.”

Lavrov also called for freeing the OSCE observers held by pro-Russian activists in the eastern Ukraine city of Slavyansk, a rebel stronghold.

But he said “we can’t make decisions for these militias,” as he argued that “you have to take into account the threats these militias face from Kiev.”

Moscow’s critics accuse Russia of backing the rebels.

Lavrov was earlier received by Chile’s president, Michelle Bachelet, who issued an invitation for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit.

After Chile, Lavrov heads to Peru, where he will conclude his Latin American tour. He had previously stopped in Cuba and Nicaragua.