Kremlin scoffs at Western sanctions

Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federation Council in Moscow's Kremlin. Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko

Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federation Council in Moscow's Kremlin. Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko

Published Mar 18, 2014

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Moscow - President Vladimir Putin's top foreign policy aide on Tuesday ridiculed the EU and US sanctions of visa bans and asset freezes imposed against Russian officials, saying Moscow viewed them with irony and sarcasm.

“You've heard comments of my colleagues who have been put on the sanctions list,” the Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov as saying.

“These sanctions are already a bore, they truly cause a sense of irony and even sarcasm.”

Another Kremlin aide seen as the architect of Putin's tightly-controlled political system called the sanctions against him a “political Oscar.”

“I believe these are very comfortable sanctions, I am not experiencing any problems over them. This does not disturb (me),” Interfax quoted Vladislav Surkov as saying.

“On the contrary, I am proud of this, I believe it is a sort of political Oscar from America for a best supporting actor.”

Ushakov declined to say whether Russia would slap counter sanctions against the West, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. -AFP

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