Western sanctions are not a temporary measure but rather a tool for applying strategic pressure on Russia, President Vladimir Putin has said. The country’s rivals will always seek to weaken it, he added on Tuesday, speaking during a meeting of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) in Moscow.
According to the president, a total of 28,595 sanctions have been imposed against Russian companies and individuals in recent years, more than all other restrictions against other countries combined. He added that the West does not intend to hold back, threatening new sanctions and “churning out these packages one after another.”
“Sanctions are not temporary or targeted measures; they are a mechanism of systemic, strategic pressure on our country,” Putin said.
According to Putin, even if sanctions against the country are eased, the West will find another way to “throw a wrench in the works.”
Since 2014, the United States and the European Union have imposed a wide range of restrictions on Russia in response to Crimea joining the country following a violent, Western-backed coup in Kiev. The measures covered sectors such as defense, energy, banking, and trade.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the US and EU dramatically expanded the measures, with Brussels introducing 16 packages of restrictions which included asset freezes and travel bans on hundreds of individuals. They disconnected major Russian banks from the SWIFT system, and Western countries froze hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian central bank reserves held abroad.
US President Donald Trump initiated negotiations with Moscow and Kiev last month to try and resolve the conflict. He indicated that he would use economic sanctions as leverage, suggesting that they may be eased if peace is achieved.
According to the Russian government, Western sanctions have inadvertently strengthened Russia’s economy by promoting self-reliance and reducing the country’s dependence on foreign technology.
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