Ukraine: Russia Will Do Business With Other Countries, Putin Dares US, NATO

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has dismissed sanctions by the United States and its Western allies, saying his country will do business with other countries of the world.

The US and its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have imposed several sanctions on Russia since Putin ordered his military to invade Ukraine on February 24.

The Russian government’s reaction is coming almost 24 hours after the United States president, Joe Biden, announced additional sanctions on over 400 Russian elites, lawmakers, and defense companies.

Biden arrived Europe since Wednesday night for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO emergency summit on Ukraine.

Among other things, the alliance agreed to place 40,000 troops on surrounding European countries, along with significant air and naval assets, under direct NATO command supported by allies’ national deployments.

According to the US Department of Treasury, the purpose of the US sanctions are to “isolate Russia from international finance and commerce, and degrade the Kremlin’s future ability to project power. “

But Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, said that his country will survive the US sanctions and NATO decision through its solid bilateral relations with other countries of the world who do not view the Ukraine issue from Biden’s point of view.

“There is no talk of any isolation of Russia. We have many partners in the world; a huge number of associations in which Russia works with countries of all continents. We will continue to do this,” Lavor said at a government function on Friday.

Russia is apparently looking towards the Middle East and the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) for business.

The Russian government still insisted that the reason most countries turn blind eyes to Russia’s concerns (which includes the establishment of US military bases in Europe) is because of “the desire of the West to maintain its dominance.”