Putin Acknowledges Seriousness of U.S. Sanctions but Downplays Economic Impact

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that the recent U.S. sanctions aimed at two major oil companies were «serious,» but they wouldn’t significantly disrupt the economy.

The United States imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest oil producers—Rosneft and Lukoil—the first such measures taken since President Donald Trump took office again.

Putin stated, «These sanctions are serious for us, that is evident. They will have some repercussions, but they won’t greatly affect our economic prosperity.»

He characterized the sanctions as an «unfriendly act» that does not enhance the already strained relations between Russia and the U.S., which had recently shown signs of improvement.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the new sanctions could jeopardize diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and claimed that Russia had developed a «strong immunity» to such measures.

At the beginning of his presidency, Trump had sought to strengthen ties with Russia, but he grew increasingly frustrated with Putin’s unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire, expressing that his attempts at peace negotiations were not progressing.

The Republican president delayed implementing new sanctions for several months; however, his patience was tested when plans for a new summit with Putin in Budapest fell through.

Despite the new sanctions and the postponement of the summit, Putin seemed willing to continue discussions. «Dialogue is always preferable to confrontation or disputes, particularly war. We have consistently advocated for maintaining dialogue,» he stated to reporters.

However, he cautioned that if the U.S. were to launch Tomahawk missiles at Russia, which Ukraine is pursuing, the response would be «very strong, if not overwhelming.»