MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat says Moscow is prepared for a split with the European Union if the EU imposes new crippling sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In response to a question about Moscow’s willingness to rupture links with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks Friday that Russia doesn’t want to be isolated but must become more self-sufficient to protect its economy from EU sanctions. Asked if Russia is heading toward a split with the European Union, Lavrov answered: “We proceed from the assumption that we are ready for that.” Russia-EU relations have sunk to new lows over Navalny’s arrest and imprisonment.
