The Russian economy has adapted to Western sanctions, which forced Russians to use their heads, President Vladimir Putin admitted at an annual press conference on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) The Russian economy has adapted to Western sanctions, which forced Russians to use their heads, President Vladimir Putin admitted at an annual press conference on Thursday.
"Russia has adapted to the existing restrictions... There are negative consequences but there is also an upside to this sanctions issue. It has forced us to turn on our brains in many areas. Western experts see it too," he said.
Putin argued that "there is no logic" to the way Western governments had imposed sanctions in general. He compared the cases of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
"Khashoggi was obviously killed - everyone agrees with that - and Skripal is alive, thanks god. Nevertheless, sanctions have been piled on Russia, while nothing was done in the former case, total silence. It is a politically-motivated Russophobe approach. It [Skripal affair] was only a pretext for another attack on Russia... The goal is to contain Russia as a potential competitor," he said.
