Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, claimed that Americans would “feel the consequences” of White House sanctions against Russia for Moscow’s decision to recognize two eastern Ukrainian regions as independent.
In a speech on Feb. 22, President Joe Biden said he would sanction two state-owned banks, including one that services the Russian military as well as elites close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the country’s sovereign debt. Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Sholz said the country would suspend its agreement with Russia to use the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Antonov, in a social media post, said the U.S. sanctions “cannot solve a thing.”
“It is hard to imagine that there is a person in Washington who expects Russia to revise its foreign policy under a threat of restrictions,” he wrote. “I don’t remember a single day when our country lived without any restrictions from the Western world. We have learned to work in such conditions. And not only to survive, but also to develop our state.”
In comments to state-run Russian media, Antonov claimed the sanctions would “strongly hit the global financial and energy markets,” and that “ordinary citizens will feel the consequences.”
While Biden made note of the costs associated with sanctioning Russia, one of the top exporters of oil to the United States, he said that “my administration is using every tool at our disposal to protect American businesses and consumers from rising prices at the pump.”
“But as we will do—but as we do this, I’m going to take robust action and make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at the Russian economy, not ours,” he said. “We are closely monitoring energy supplies for any disruption. We’re executing a plan in coordination with major oil-producing consumers and producers toward a collective investment to secure stability and global energy supplies.”
Since taking office last year, Biden has faced criticism for shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline and not renewing drilling leases in the United States, which Republicans say has caused gas and energy prices to spike in recent months. At the same time, the White House has promoted electric vehicles as well as solar and wind power as alternatives.
Biden’s announcement to sanction Russia comes a day after Putin, in a lengthy speech, said that he would recognize the Moscow-backed Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions as sovereign states. He then signed an order that authorized sending Russian ‘peacekeeping’ troops into those areas.
Russia’s embassy in the Ukraine capital of Kyiv announced on Feb. 23 that it would be withdrawing its staff and shutting down, prompting concerns about a wider Russian invasion.
