Western attempts to "suffocate" the Russian economy using sanctions have failed, Pisarev said in an article for the Paraguayan newspaper.
"We managed to stabilize the situation by reorienting the markets," the ambassador wrote, emphasizing that Russia survived despite the restrictions imposed on it, including the freezing of national reserves.
Pisarev said that a year ago, 60% of Russian foreign trade was with the countries of the "collective West," and 40% - with the rest of the world.
"Now, 35% [of Russia’s foreign trade is] with the West and 65% - with the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and this figure will grow," Pisarev said.
Russia has been able to largely withstand the sanctions pressure that the US, the EU and their allies have been piling on it since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine in February, 2022. The UN estimated in its January World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report that the Russian economy contracted by just around 3% last year (versus the projected 15%).
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the policy of containing and weakening Moscow is part of the West's long-term strategy, while sanctions have instead hit the entire global economy and worsened the lives of millions of people.