“No sanctions will be able to force the Russian Federation to change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a Russian state media reporter.
The comments come as the European Union is preparing a 19th package of sanctions targeting Russian banks and the energy sector, Bloomberg reported. U.S. President Donald Trump has also repeatedly threatened to implement secondary sanction on Russian oil if Moscow’s invasion continues, although he has yet to do so.
Peskov further claimed that sanction “turned out to be absolutely useless in terms of exerting pressure on Russia.”
Despite Peskov’s claims, sanction have undeniably played an impact on Russia’s economic fortunes, vastly limiting the country’s trade with international partners, and weakening the country’s ability to sell oil to fuel the country’s war machine.
Following an initial economic surge led by the country’s defense industry following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Russia’s economy has continued to face uncertainty amid high inflation, slowed economic growth, and near-record interest rates.
Despite the challenges faced by Russia’s economy, Moscow has shown no indication it is ready to halt its war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly repeatedly refused to attend an in-person meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump.