On Saturday, the Kremlin stated that while the West behaved like a bandit in cutting economic relations due to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia was too large to be isolated because the world is much bigger than the United States and Europe.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters that the West engaged in “economic banditry against Russia” and that Moscow would reply. While he did not give any details about the response, he said that it would be in accordance with Russian interests.
Peskov stated, “As you know, there must also be a corresponding reaction to economic banditry.”
Peskov said that Russia was not isolated. “The world is too vast for America and Europe to isolate any country, especially a country like Russia. There are many other countries in the world.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is called a “special military operation” to disarm its neighbour, has led to a torrent of sanctions and an exodus from Russia of large companies.
Peskov pointed out that there were still channels for dialogue between Washington and Moscow.
He stated that the United States could impose sanctions on Russia’s exports of oil and gas, which would provide a significant boost to global energy markets.
Peskov answered a question about the law President Vladimir Putin signed which stiffens punishments for discrediting Russian armed forces.
He said that the law was urgently needed in an exceptional situation because Russia was facing unprecedented information warfare unleashed from the West.
He said that foreign companies would eventually return to Russia, but some would be replaced by others.
Russia… wants to be attractive for investment. Peskov stated that although now is not the best time to talk about being attractive for investments, times are changing quickly.
This time will be replaced by a time of rapid economic growth. These same companies will once again return to the market and will be interested in catching up with what they have missed and restoring their position.
“In certain areas, we’ll wait really for them [the businesses]. We’ll be waiting less for them in other areas, as companies from other countries will take their place.”
