Spokesman for the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov answered journalists’ questions about the situation in Ukraine, the impact of Western sanctions on the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin’s plans. His answers were quoted by RIA Novosti.
«The Russian delegation will be waiting at the place of negotiations for Ukrainian negotiators on Wednesday evening. There is indeed a certain element of conflicting information. But I’ll tell you which part does not belong to conflicting information. This means that today in the afternoon, in the late afternoon, our delegation will be waiting for Ukrainian negotiators,» Dmitry Peskov said.
At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman refused to give any forecasts and added that he would not name the place of the talks in advance. At the same time, Vladimir Medinsky will remain the main negotiator with Ukraine.
The imposed ban on taking out more than $10,000 by individuals was also explained. Dmitry Peskov noted that such measures were taken to prevent the economy from rocking.
The spokesman for the President of the Russian Federation called all countries that decided to impose sanctions on Russia unfriendly.
«Judging by the measures that many countries are taking against us, they are now all de facto unfriendly — whether they are on the list or not on the list. In this case, the list is secondary, but responses to these unfriendly, speaking in Russian, hostile actions — response measures, of course, should be analyzed. No one is going to shoot himself in the foot to spite someone else. We will do what we need, as it is beneficial for us and in the cold light of day,» Dmitry Peskov said.
He also said that the Kremlin has calculated different degrees of reaction from abroad to the operation in Ukraine — from the lightest to the most severe. The presidential spokesman is confident that the Russian economy has a margin of safety.
«The Russian economy is now under serious pressure, of course, serious blows, I would say. There is a margin of safety, there is potential, there are plans, active work is underway. It will stay on its feet,» he said.
Dmitry Peskov assured that the Russian President Vladimir Putin, as commander in chief, receives constant information about losses during the operation in Ukraine. But the Ministry of Defense can only comment on the figures.
As it turned out, Vladimir Putin is also aware of the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation to block Echo of Moscow. But Dmitry Peskov did not comment on this decision. He also commented on the situation around Nord Stream 2.
«Hysterical reality so far makes it impossible to launch Nord Stream 2. Certification of the project has now been cancelled. Making some kind of forecasts is a thankless task now, but still, let’s hope that hysteria will inevitably pass sometime, and then a sober assessment of the situation will take the place of hysteria. As for the death of this project, the infrastructure is ready, technically, technologically, logistically, and so on, this infrastructure will be in place, it will be there. Common sense and economic feasibility clearly speak of the need to launch this facility as soon as possible,» Dmitry Peskov said.
The Kremlin spokesman also assured that the Russian authorities would take measures to minimize the growth of unemployment and increase the level of support for Vladimir Putin.
Today is the seventh day of fighting in Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, the Russian President Vladimir Putin announced start of a special military operation. It was regarded in Ukraine and in the West as a full-scale invasion. Severe economic sanctions began to be imposed on Russia on February 25. The number of casualties, both among military personnel of both countries and civilians, is increasing. The number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to Europe is growing. Protests against Russia’s actions are taking place in many countries around the world.
By the evening of February 27, almost all European countries closed their airspace for Russian airlines. The NATO states and the United States not only increased financial assistance to Ukraine, but also began supplying weapons. Tough sanctions have been imposed on Russia. The package of sanctions is increasing every day.
Hostilities continued on February 28. Against this background, the first round of Russian-Ukrainian talks took place. Details are not reported. The parties will consult with their leadership and set a date for the second round of talks.
