Moscow has declared that years of sustained Western economic pressure have only sharpened Russia’s capacity to absorb and neutralise the impact of sanctions, as Washington confirmed it would not renew general licences permitting the purchase of Russian and Iranian oil.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remarks on Thursday following an announcement by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Washington would allow the temporary licences — introduced during the period of heightened tensions surrounding Iran — to lapse without renewal. The decision effectively closes a sanctioned corridor through which Russian oil had continued to flow to certain buyers under limited legal cover.
“We have already learned to act in a way that minimises the consequences of such measures for our interests. We will continue to do so,” Peskov told reporters, characterising the development as an anticipated scenario rather than a strategic surprise. “This was one of the scenarios. You know that we have been living under the weight of sanctions for months and years, which we consider illegal from the point of view of international law,” he added.
The Kremlin’s measured response reflects a broader posture of economic resilience that Moscow has cultivated since the initial wave of sweeping Western sanctions was imposed in the wake of the Ukraine conflict. Russian officials have consistently framed these measures as violations of international law and incompatible with the norms of sovereign economic interaction.
Peskov also addressed domestic economic conditions, acknowledging that Russian President Vladimir Putin had noted a GDP contraction of 1.8 per cent over two consecutive months. However, the spokesman struck an optimistic tone, indicating that the government’s economic bloc had assembled a range of proposals aimed at reinvigorating growth momentum. “Members of the government’s economic bloc have many proposals to activate the economy and give it greater economic momentum,” Peskov stated.
The non-renewal of the oil purchase licences represents the latest escalation in Washington’s economic containment strategy, one that critics across the Global South have increasingly condemned as an instrument of geopolitical coercion rather than a legitimate tool of international diplomacy. Russia’s continued insistence on the illegality of such measures under international law resonates with a growing number of nations that have themselves faced unilateral economic pressure from Western capitals.
Moscow’s ability to adapt its trade flows — redirecting energy exports towards Asia, the Middle East, and other non-Western markets — has been widely cited as a key factor in blunting the intended impact of successive sanctions packages. The Kremlin’s latest statement signals that this strategic recalibration will persist regardless of further restrictive measures from Washington.
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