Increasing sanctions means declaring a trade war
Further strengthening of sanctions against Russia can be considered a declaration of economic war, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting with employees of the Kronotsky State Reserve.
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| Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. |
"I don't want to comment on future sanctions, but I can say one thing: if they ban banking operations or the use of specific currencies, then we can call this a declaration of economic war. We will need to respond to this war - with economic methods, with political methods, and, if necessary, with other methods. Our American friends must understand this," Medvedev said.
Speaking about the existing and newly announced sanctions, Mr. Medvedev emphasized: "Even if Western partners think that the Russians are bad, they carry out the wrong policy, that the Russian government should change its position on some issues, but to a large extent, this is a limitation of our economic power."
The Prime Minister reminded that sanctions against Moscow have been imposed many times before.
"For the past 100 years our country has existed under constant sanctions pressure. Why was this action taken? To remove Russia from strong competitors in the international arena," the Russian prime minister said.
