"Sometimes it even comes to direct threats. But such blackmail means little when we are talking about countries headed by real leaders who clearly understand where foreign and national, their own interests and the interests of their people, are. Russia will be stepping up economic cooperation with these states and promoting joint projects. At the same time, of course, we will cooperate with Western companies that continue to work successfully on the Russian market despite unprecedented arm-twisting," Putin said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Putin also said that everyone who interacts with Russia faces pressure from the United States and Europe.
"Russia, despite the fact that our Western friends, so to speak, literally dream about it, will never go the way of self-isolation and autarchy. Moreover, we are expanding and will continue to expand our cooperation with everyone who is interested in it," Putin noted.
The Russian president underscored that the "economic blitzkrieg against Russia had no chance of success," as sanctions are a double-edged sword. Since the launch of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, the EU has adopted six packages of sanctions against Russia.
The 25th SPIEF takes place in St. Petersburg from June 15 to 18. Sputnik is an official media partner of the forum.