Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev speaks during an interview with Russia's Kommersant newspaper at the Gorki state residence outside Moscow
Russia would consider it an economic war if the United States imposed a ban on banks or a particular currency, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday, the TASS state news agency said.
U.S. sanctions on Russia will target exports of national security related goods including sectors such as specialised oil and gas technology and some electronics and sensors, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Thursday.Asked whether sanctions would apply directly to Russia's biggest airline Aeroflot, the official said they would not, but could theoretically affect the company if it tried to import any of the goods covered by the sanctions. Russia condemns US sanctions over Salisbury poisoning
US says Russia sanctions to target security-related goods
"I would not like to comment on talks about future sanctions, but I can say one thing: If some ban on banks' operations or on the use of one or another currency follows, it would be possible to clearly call it a declaration of economic war," Medvedev said.
"And it would be necessary, it would be needed to react to this war economically, politically, or, if needed, by other means. And our American friends need to understand this," he added.