Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian following their meeting in Moscow, Russia June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday new sanctions imposed against Russian companies and individuals were “regrettable” and that “Russophobia” in the United States was raging “beyond all bounds”.

Speaking at a joint news briefing with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Moscow, Lavrov also responded to a verdict of the European Court of Human Rights earlier on Tuesday that a Russian law banning the promotion of homosexuality to minors breached European treaty rules.

“On LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), we do not prosecute (people) for this or that orientation,” he said.