When asked to comment on recent State Department publications aimed at “debunking myths” of the resilience of the Russian economy to the Western sanctions, Antonov said that the US administration seems to be “wishing to convince itself and its allies of the effectiveness of their favorite geopolitical weapon.”
The Russian diplomat underscored that “the only result that the United States managed to achieve has been further destabilization of the global economy, which, in the context of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, is already going through hard times.”
“Financial institutions and international companies, intimidated by US regulators, are afraid to carry out routine operations. It has come to the point that even US authorities’ attempts to explain to firms ‘exemptions’ allowed within the sanctions regime, for instance in agricultural industry, do not work. Normal trade and economic cooperation have fallen victim to such situation,” the Russian ambassador concluded.