Putin said Russia had demonstrated it was capable of “responding to the most difficult challenges.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this Thursday, speaking at an investment forum in Moscow, that Russia has managed to “respond to the most difficult challenges” despite external pressure.

“We have shown that we are capable of responding to the most difficult challenges,” the Kremlin head said at the Russia Calling forum, speaking at a conference organized by the Russian bank VTB, broadcast live on state television.

The head of the Kremlin emphasized that the Russian economy is “effectively overcoming” attempts from abroad to restrain the country’s development.

“The main thing is the fundamental margin of safety that we have been building over the last 20 years,” he said.

Putin said that from the beginning of March 2022, shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, until November last year, the number of foreign companies in the country did not decrease, but increased by 1,500, to 25,600, “despite pressure from Ukrainian politicians.” West”.

“I want to emphasize that it is in our interests to make our market open and competitive. This is the key to development, an incentive for the qualitative growth of domestic companies and the entire Russian economy. I repeat: Russia is not expelling anyone. and does not close himself to anyone. No one!” he emphasized.

The Russian President emphasized that the so-called basic raw materials industries are playing an increasingly important role in the structure of the country’s economic growth, which this year, as he indicated, should reach at least 3.5% of gross domestic product.

“Let someone now say that Russia is a service station, as was said not so long ago,” Putin said, referring to comparisons made in particular by the head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU).

Josep Borrell recently called Russia “a gas station whose owner has an atomic bomb.”