Economic sanctions as an instrument of political pressure have a boomerang effect - Putin

ST. PETERSBURG, May 23 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that economic sanctions might have a boomerang effect if they were used as an instrument of political pressure. “It is clear and obvious that economic sanctions used as an instrument of political pressure will have a boomerang effect in a contemporary and inter-related world and will ultimately hurt the business and economies of countries that initiate them,” Putin told the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Putin added that Western sanctions had caused damage to Russian businessmen but described those punitive measures as illegal. The Russian president also accused the West of being snobbish and unwilling to conduct a dialogue with Russia at a time when an agreement on Ukraine’s association with the European Union was in the making. Instead, the West supported an anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine. Learn more on itar-tass.com