MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. A possible limitation on Russia’s exports of strategic raw materials - uranium, titanium, nickel - will be a forced response to the thuggish actions of the West, which is increasingly increasing anti-Russian sanctions, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with TV journalist Pavel Zarubin.
"We need to respond to - not just unfriendly, but thuggish - actions against us," he said.
He also noted that possible restrictions on Russia's exports of strategic raw materials will be done with caution so as not to harm the Russian economy. "All these decisions, of course, will be made very, very carefully," the Kremlin representative stressed, explaining that "the market is also quite competitive and ruthless." "Once you have lost positions on it, it will take decades to get them back," Peskov said.
"That's why we need to actively work in the world markets so that we maintain our positions despite these illegal restrictions (Western sanctions - TASS)," he said.
Peskov also said that possible restrictions on exports of Russian strategic raw materials may have a positive impact on the Russian economy and spur technological development.
"When we decided to introduce a food embargo, we cut off supplies of Western food, which was, of course, risky. But in the end - after ten years - we came to the conclusion that we had completely replaced the whole range with our own food products," he said.
"Decisions of this kind sometimes have a rather positive effect, spurring us on to more complete and high-tech import substitution," Peskov added.