NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Russia had been hit by more than 30,000 sanctions, twice as many as those imposed on all other countries combined, as he accused states of turning economic competition into coercive geopolitical pressure.
“More than 30,000 sanctions have been slapped on Russia which is twice as much as the number of all sanctions against all other countries of the world combined,” Putin said at the Leaders’ Session of the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi.
Putin said the pressure on Russia was part of a broader pattern in which competition was increasingly taking “some ugly forms”, including at the state level.
“Sometimes competition takes some ugly forms. This ugly form is something we see even at the State level, at the Government level,” he said.
He cited the destruction of pipelines, attempts to block international transport corridors and seize maritime vessels, as well as what he called “illegal restrictions” and threats of secondary sanctions against countries that refused to follow the interests of other powers.
“There is also the threat of so-called secondary sanctions against those who do not want to follow someone else's interest and rather look after their own,” Putin said.
Despite the scale of sanctions, Putin portrayed Russia as having strengthened its economic sovereignty and expanded ties with what he described as reliable and predictable partners.
“Against this difficult backdrop, Russia has been working actively and Russia has managed to achieve great success. We have reinforced our national sovereignty, we are developing ties with reliable, predictable partners,” he said.
Putin also pointed to Russia’s economic performance as evidence of its resilience under sanctions, saying, “During the last 3 years, the economic growth in Russia has been superior to the world average.”
His remarks come as BRICS countries push for greater economic cooperation amid growing tensions over trade restrictions, sanctions, supply chains and access to transport and energy corridors. For Russia, the BRICS platform has become an important avenue for deepening economic ties with non-Western partners as Moscow faces sweeping Western sanctions.
The comments also come against the backdrop of Russia’s expanding economic engagement with India, with the two countries seeking to deepen cooperation in energy, infrastructure, technology, industry, critical minerals and trade.
Putin’s focus on transport corridors and maritime security also carries particular significance for India, whose trade routes have been affected by disruptions in the Black Sea and West Asia.