Moscow has downplayed the impact of fresh European Union sanctions on Russia’s economy, saying they were “illegal” and would backfire.
Brussels agreed its 18th package of sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s military offensive on Ukraine, targeting Russian banks and lowering a price cap on oil exports.
“We will certainly analyse the new package in order to minimise its impact,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “However, every new package adds to the negative effect on the very countries that join in on them.”
Russian officials have blasted the restrictions as breaching international law and touted Moscow’s effectiveness in getting around them.
“We have already developed a certain immunity to sanctions. We have adapted to life under sanctions,” Peskov said.
The Russian economy has grown strongly since a dip in 2022, when it launched its military campaign against Ukraine, boosted by a massive increase in spending on soldiers and weapons.
