Russia has threatened to switch to other trade partners if the European Union and the United States impose economic sanctions against Moscow.

This is according to President Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "If an economic partner in one part of the world decides to slap sanctions on us, we will shift our attention to other partners in other parts of the world," Mr. Peskov said Wednesday in an interview with BBC.

"It's not a one-polar world, we will focus on other trade partners," he noted.

The Kremlin spokesman calls any EU or US sanctions against Russia unacceptable, adding Moscow was open to further economic cooperation with the Union.

Peskov stressed Russia wanted to stay on good terms with the EU and US, especially with the EU, he underscored, because the European Union is Russia's key economic, investment and trade partner. Our mutual economic interdependence means it's our duty to preserve good relations, he said.

Putin's spokesman also told BBC that no discussion could be called global unless Russia could take part in it.