Russian President Putin: Don't be foolish to isolate Russia

The Russian president asserted that isolating his country would only betray Europe itself. He also considered President Obama's approach hostile.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has just declared that trying to isolate Russia with sanctions is a “silly and illusory goal”.

Russian President Putin (photo: RIA)

Speaking to the Serbian newspaper Politika, President Putin affirmed: "It is obvious that it is impossible to isolate our country, the economic health of Europe and the world could be seriously damaged."

In the interview, referring to the year-long conflict in Ukraine, Mr. Putin said: “Attempts to put pressure on Russia with unilateral and illegal restrictive measures” will not help to reach any agreement but will “only hinder dialogue.”

Mr Putin accused Washington of actively supporting the Maidan protests, then blamed Moscow when “extreme” nationalism rose in Ukraine and pushed the country into civil war.

Speaking about the sanctions, Mr. Putin affirmed that Russia will “take a balanced approach to assessing the risks and impacts” of the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US and will “react based on our national interests.”

President Putin warned that the current situation and the decline in mutual trust will have a negative impact on European and American companies operating in Russia as well as the international business environment in general.

President Obama at the United Nations General Assembly (photo: Reuters)

President Putin condemned the US President's approach: "President Barack Obama, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, mentioned the so-called 'Russian aggression in Europe' as one of the main threats facing humanity today, along with the Ebola virus and the Islamic State. Together with sanctions targeting entire economic sectors, this approach can only be called hostile"./.

According to RT/VOV