The Russian President today classified the sanctions adopted by the United States against the two largest oil companies in his country as a “hostile act”but expressed readiness to continue dialogue on the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking to the Russian press in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin stated that the sanctions announced on Wednesday against Rosneft and Lukoil are serious and will have repercussions on bilateral relations with Washington.
“Of course it is an act hostile to Russia. This is obvious and does not strengthen Russian-American relations, which were just beginning to recover,” he declared.
However, the Russian President said that does not foresee a “significant impact” of US sanctions in the country’s economy.
“They are serious and may have some consequences, but they will not have a significant impact on our economic health”, he maintained, commenting that these penalties have a political aspect that seek to “exert pressure” on the Kremlin.
Putin warned, however, that “no self-respecting country or people ever makes decisions under pressure” and Russia “certainly has that privilege.”
“Dialogue is always preferable to confrontation, disputes and, even more so, war”, declared Putin, who, however, left the threat of a “very strong” response in the event of an attack on Russian territory with North American Tomahawk missileswhose concession to the Kiev military remains pending and which he recommends thinking about “carefully”.
Faced with the uncertainty of obtaining the “expected result”, the Kremlin leader agreed that it would be a mistake to hold a meeting with Trump at this stage.
“Without a doubt, this meeting must be well prepared. And for me, and for the North American President, it would be a mistake to take it lightly and leave after this meeting without the expected result”, he commented, highlighting that the initiative for the meeting came from the United States.
The Russian President stated that Moscow “has always supported the continuation of dialogue, even now”, but does not know whether the meeting in Budapest will still be viable.
This morning, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said she saw no alternative but to “achieve the objectives of the special military operation [invasão da Ucrânia]declared in February 2022”.
The US administration announced on Wednesday sanctions against Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil, justified by “Putin’s refusal to stop the senseless war” in Ukraine.
In statements in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin indicated that, in the last telephone conversation with the North American leader, he warned Trump that, if the volume of Russian hydrocarbons on the world market is drastically reduced, the prices of oil and derivatives will suffer “a sharp increase”, including bombs, and “the United States will be no exception.”
In this sense, he highlighted that Russia contributes significantly to the global energy balancewhich benefits both producers and consumers.
“Breaking this balance is a very ungrateful act, even for those who want it,” he noted, although he expressed confidence that the sanctions will not cause “major changes in the global market.”
The Kremlin leader also said he had warned the United States that, ealthough they lead global production with 13.5 million barrels per day, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia, they need 20 million barrels for daily consumption.
At the same time, Russia and Saudi Arabia sell more than they consume, he stressed, adding that replacing Russian crude would require time and large investments.
“If we renounce coercive measures and instead engage in serious dialogue about future prospects, including in the economic sphere, we will have many areas in which we can cooperate,” Putin argued.
In addition to US measures against Russian oil companies, the EU adopted the 19th sanctions package against Russiaafter the lifting of the Slovak blockade, announced the head of community diplomacy, stressing that it is increasingly difficult for Moscow to finance a war against Ukraine.
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