WASHINGTON, December 9 (Sputnik) – Medtronic, a leading medical device maker in the United States, is still collaborating with Russia despite tensions between the two countries, Trevor Gunn, the company's managing director of international relations, has told Sputnik.
"We have had excellent cooperation with Russia for many many years, and we have continued to experience excellent cooperation even in the context of the more difficult geopolitical situation," Gunn said Monday on the sidelines of the First Annual Conference "Doing Business with the Eurasian Economic Union" held in Washington, DC.
"We are not impacted ourselves by the sanctions, particularly our sector, the health and medical sector," Gunn added, saying that the reason for continuing US-Russia cooperation in the medical sector might be the importance of health for both countries.
The United States and a number of its allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in Ukraine's internal affairs. The sanctions target Russia's banking, defense and energy sectors, as well as certain individuals.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations that it is involved in the situation in Ukraine, stressing that sanctions are counterproductive and hurt not only the target country but also those using the restrictive measures.
In August, Moscow responded with a one-year ban on certain food imports from the countries that had imposed sanctions against Russia.
