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Russian envoy says US is so hung up on sanctions it doesn’t see they failed

Normal trade and economic cooperation is becoming a victim of Washington's sanctions policy, says Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov Alexander Shcherbak/TASS
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov
© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

WASHINGTON, August 19. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov on Thursday said the US is so hung up on sanctions that it doesn't see they failed.

"Hung up on restrictions, Washington can’t see that its strategy of choice has failed," the embassy’s press service quoted him as saying. "It’s evident that the attempts to strangle, rip to shreds our economy have failed."

All the US has achieved is a destabilization of the world economy that was already struggling amid the fallout from the pandemic, the ambassador said. "The restrictions backlash at the masterminds of the sanctions madness," he said.

Routine business ties have fallen prey to the US policy of sanctions, he said.

"Another result of Washington's chaotic pileup of meaningless restrictions is that they cause huge costs to businesses and ordinary citizens. Financial institutions and international companies, intimidated by US regulators, are wary of carrying out routine operations. It has even come to the point that when the government attempts to explain to firms there are exceptions to the sanctions, namely in the food sector, that doesn’t work," he said.

On February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. The West retaliated to the Russian decision by imposing sweeping sanctions on the country. Also, Western countries started shipments of weapons to Kiev, which by now are worth billions of dollars.