Russia Says Western Sanctions Will Cause Problems But Can Be Solved

Russia-Ukraine crisis: A Kremlin spokesperson said Russia had deliberately reduced its dependence on foreign imports to protect itself against sanctions.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine would cause problems for Moscow, but not insurmountable ones, with Russia set to widen its trade and economic ties with Asian countries.

Missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital on Friday as Russian forces pressed their advance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with the international community to do more, saying sanctions announced so far were not enough.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on possible punitive measures against President Vladimir Putin himself.

He said that Russia had deliberately reduced its dependence on foreign imports to protect itself against sanctions.