RIA Novosti – Russia
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to Washington, D.C., said the United States wanted to discredit Russia by trying to make it harder for it to repay public debt.
According to the US Treasury, Washington will not allow US banks to pay dollars for Russia’s sovereign debt.
Responding to questions from the media, Antonov said: “We see in these efforts a desire to discredit Russia, which, despite sanctions imposed by Washington, continues to fulfill its debt obligations in good faith and in a timely manner.”
Washington, the head of Russia’s diplomatic mission in the United States, noted that the new sanctions “continue to harm the world economy.”
“This undermines the opportunities of foreign partners for mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia and leaves foreign businesses without the necessary income in the current period of economic turmoil,” he added.
Antonov described US sanctions against Sberbank and Alpha Bank as a direct blow to ordinary Russians.
On Wednesday, the United States expanded its sanctions on Russia, including 18 individuals and dozens of companies, including those affiliated with Sberbank and Alpha Bank.
After the Russo-Ukrainian war, Western nations increased their pressure on Russia, separated the large state-owned banks from the Swift system, and announced that many companies would shut down their operations in the country or leave the Russian market.
The European Union is also considering dropping Russian energy imports.
The Russian ambassador described the White House operation as “a series of sanctions,” referring to the real intentions of the United States: “An example of this appears in the restrictions imposed on Sberbank and Alpha Bank. Most Russians keep their savings,” he said.