Moscow is prepared to retaliate against unfriendly moves over the Russia-U.S. ties, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

The relations between the two big powers is a key factor for global stability, and Russia seeks to build relations with the United States "based on equality, non-interference and mutual respect," he said during an annual press conference.

Russia welcomes U.S. President Barack Obama's words that "decades of wars and conflicts are coming to an end," and the country will be ready to coordinate with the U.S. side to solve controversies.

However, "irritating" issues such as the Magnitsky act are hard to ignore, as Americans "have already decided everything for themselves," said the top Russian diplomat.

Russia would react if other countries interfered into Russia's internal judicial life, Lavrov warned.

The U.S. government passed the Magnitsky Act in December, introducing a blacklist of Russian officials allegedly linked to the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky at a Russian prison in 2009.

In retaliation, the State Duma of Russia, or the lower house of the Russian parliament, passed in the same month a law introducing a ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans and blacklisted U.S. citizens it deemed human rights violators. The law, also known as anti-Magnitsky Act, became effective as of Jan. 1.

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