Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that Western countries have scored their own goal by imposing sanctions on Russia.
He said it had led to “a deterioration in the West’s economy”. Speaking about the state of Russia’s domestic economy, Putin said that inflation was stabilizing and that retail demand in the country had returned to normal, Reuters reported.
Western countries have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, Putin told senior government officials via video link that Russia should use its budget to support the economy and liquidity.
Putin shows no regrets
International sanctions begin to affect life in the Russian Federation, Putin’s troops suffer “significant” losses in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the war “genocide”, but for Russian President Vladimir Putin everything is still going according to plan.
In his remarks this week, Putin did not show a shadow of regret over the war in Ukraine, nor an attempt to analyze the situation, and against this background, he is trying to return to Russia the status of “winner” in the eyes of ordinary Russian citizens. in his CNN analysis.
A look at Putin’s remarks gives a clear idea of his intentions: Western oil companies are withdrawing from Russia, taking everything with them, Biden has imposed a ban on imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal, and the EU is cold-bloodedly looking for a way to get rid of its dependence. from Russian energy raw materials.
Putin’s opinion? “The pain inflicted on European energy consumers is a good thing, and Russia will find other markets to sell its gas and oil.” “The refusal of many Western countries to work with Russia in normal cooperation is hitting millions of Europeans. This caused a real energy crisis. Inflation is everywhere, prices are rising. Of course, we are also facing problems, but we have alternative possibilities and options ahead of us, “the Russian president said calmly.
Russia threatened Biden
Russia has sent a series of warnings to the Joe Biden administration, including an official diplomatic protest, demanding a halt to the supply of modern weapons to Ukraine that could strike Russian territory. Russia warns of “unpredictable consequences”, the New York Times reported.
The diplomatic note, called a demarche, was sent through normal channels, two administration officials said. It was not signed by President Vladimir Putin or other senior Russian officials. But this is an indicator, said one administration official, that weapons sent by the United States to Ukraine so far have had an effect.
He also suggested that the Russians were worried about the new tranche of more modern offensive weapons, part of an $ 800 million package announced by President Biden the day after the Russian embassy in Washington handed over the demarche. U.S. officials said the tone of the note resonated with a series of public Russian threats, including the destruction of arms supplies as they moved through Ukrainian territory.
Officials said the note did not cause much concern in the White House. But this has sparked a wider debate in the Pentagon and intelligence agencies over whether the “unforeseen consequences” could include trying to target or sabotage some of the arms shipments while they are still in NATO territory before being handed over to Ukrainians for the last stage of their journey.
