FILE PHOTO - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem following their talks in Moscow, Russia August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. sanctions against Russia are counter-productive but Moscow is ready for dialogue once the U.S. side is ready for talks with mutual respect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday, TASS state news agency reported.

“Not for the first time we highlight that the permanent buildup of sanctions pressure without any facts that would justify such sanctions is counter-productive and push relations into an impasse,” Lavrov said.

“Once our partners are ready to talk on the basis of mutual respect and considering (mutual) interests, we are always ready for such dialogue,” he said.