WESTERN COUNTRIES HAVE HURT THEMSELVES WITH SANCTIONS, PUTIN SAYS

Mon 18 April 2022:

Putin has said that Western countries have hurt themselves by imposing sanctions on Russia over its offensive, claiming the measures had led to a “deterioration of the economy in the West”.

Speaking to top economic officials in a televised video call, the Russian president said that domestic inflation was stabilising and that retail demand in the country had normalised.

He added the “strategy of the economic blitz has failed” after Russia “withstood the unprecedented pressure” brought about by the sanctions. Putin said Russia’s currency, the rouble, had strengthened and that the country recorded a historic high trade surplus of $58bn in the first quarter of the year.

Kremlin says there is still time for foreign buyers to meet gas-for-roubles demand

The Kremlin says there is still time for so-called “unfriendly” countries to switch to payments for gas in roubles, as demanded by Putin.

At the end of March, Putin signed a decree that said foreign buyers must pay for gas in the Russian currency or else have their supplies cut, a move European capitals rejected and which Germany said amounted to “blackmail”.

Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to disclose how many countries have agreed to the Kremlin’s ultimatum to date. He added that payments for deliveries that took place after Putin’s decree are expected in May.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent