US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent has denied claims by russia's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev that international sanctions are not affecting the russian economy.
He made the statement on CBS News.
Dmitriev had previously said that the restrictions imposed by the US and Europe "will have absolutely no effect on the russian economy," but will only cause fuel prices to rise in the United States.
Bessent reacted sharply to these words, calling them blatantly false. According to him, Moscow "has already felt the effects of the sanctions." The minister recalled that India has completely stopped purchasing russian oil, and some Chinese oil refineries have suspended operations.
"Are you really going to quote a russian propagandist? What else can he say - that everything is terrible and putin will have to sit down at the negotiating table?" Bessent said.
The head of the US Department of the Treasury emphasized that the russian economy is actually operating in war mode, does not show growth, and inflation exceeds 20%. He added that the Kremlin's military machine is supported by profits from oil sales, which have already decreased significantly due to sanctions.
According to the minister, russia's oil export revenues have decreased by 20% in annual terms and may fall by another 20-30% in the coming months.
Recall that Kirill Dmitriev, who represents russia in negotiations with the US, arrived in Washington on October 24 for meetings with representatives of the administration of President Donald Trump with the aim of "continuing the dialogue between the two countries."
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the US has imposed new sanctions against leading russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil. The restrictions are aimed at increasing economic pressure on the Kremlin over its war against Ukraine. The White House later explained that Trump decided to impose sanctions due to the lack of real steps by russia to end the war.
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