Foreign minister Luigi Di Maio on Friday conveyed Italy's "full solidarity" with European Parliament president David Sassoli after Russia blacklisted him and seven other European officials in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russian citizens by the bloc.
Di Maio was in immediate contact with Sassoli "to express full solidarity" sources told Adnkronos.
Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement it was responding to sanctions imposed by the EU last month against four top Russian security officials over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and a violent police crackdown against pro-Navalny protesters.
"The EU continues its policy of unilateral illegitimate restrictive measures targeting Russian citizens and organizations," the ministry said in a statement.
Relations between Moscow and the EU have been strained since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and backed pro-Russia separatists during the war in eastern Ukraine.
