Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that going unprepared to the summit to be held in Budapest would be “a big mistake”. According to him, the initiative for this meeting was put forward by the United States.
According to Modern.az, Putin noted that the new sanctions announced by the US against Russia will not seriously affect the country's economy:
“This is an attempt to put pressure on Russia. However, no self-respecting state makes decisions under pressure”, – the president emphasized.
He reminded that Russia's role in the global energy balance is still significant:
“Russia and Saudi Arabia sell more oil, while the US consumes more. The complete replacement of Russian oil in the market requires time”.
Putin called US President Donald Trump's decision on new sanctions “an unfriendly step” and said that it did not strengthen Moscow-Washington relations. Nevertheless, he emphasized that “broad areas for cooperation” exist between the two countries if “a transition to serious dialogue takes place”.
The Russian leader also assessed the possibility of supplying “Tomahawk” missiles to Ukraine as “a provocation and an attempt at escalation” and warned:
“If Russian targets are struck with these weapons, our response will be serious.”
