Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has condemned sanctions imposed on Syria by the European Union, saying unilateral bans will lead to nothing good.
The EU has decided to impose sanctions on Syrian oil exports, saying President Bashar al-Assad was massacring his own countrymen.
Mr Lavrov says such moves ruin the partnership approach to any crisis.
A US and European push to impose United Nations Security Council sanctions on Syria had met fierce resistance from Russia and China.
One of the proposed sanctions is an arms embargo that would make it illegal for Russian firms to sell weapons to Damascus.
Russia has long had close ties with Syria and is one of its main arms suppliers.
The United States has already banned the import of Syrian oil.
Oil accounts for about 25% of Syria's income and EU member states take about 95% of its oil exports.
