Russia will respond to the European Union's latest sanctions package with effective and tough steps, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on her Telegram channel.

Zakharova noted that the European Union itself does not believe in the effectiveness of the 19th sanctions package, because the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced the development of a new 20th package on the eve of its adoption.

According to Zakharova, the EU, in its attempt to combat the circumvention of anti-Russian sanctions, is blackmailing third countries and increasingly isolating itself internationally. The EU is also restricting the freedom of movement of its own citizens by including a ban on European operators providing tourism-related services to Russia in its sanctions.

Russia strongly condemns any illegitimate unilateral coercive measures. More and more countries share and support this approach. Naturally, we will respond to the EU's latest sanctions package with effective and tough measures, Zakharova concluded.