Kremlin pledges serious response in case of EU visa restrictions

MOSCOW - Moscow will take serious retaliatory measures if the EU formally introduces visa restrictions on Russian citizens, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

Russia is closely monitoring the EU decision and the retaliation, symmetrical or not, will definitely meet Russia's interests, Peskov told a local TV program without disclosing what the retaliatory steps could be.

Foreign ministers of the EU member states agreed to suspend a visa facilitation agreement the bloc has with Russia, EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.

The decision, which has yet to be legalized, will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states to Russian citizens and make the process to get a visa longer and more difficult.