Scientist Lukin: President Putin conveyed to Biden the idea of a tough response from the Russian Federation to US sanctions
Vladimir Putin. Photo: Kremlin Pool / Globallookpress.com
Artem Lukin, deputy director for science of the Oriental Institute – School of Regional and International Studies of the Far Eastern Federal University, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a serious warning to his American counterpart Joe Biden during a telephone conversation. According to the scientist, the Russian leader was able to convey to him the idea of Moscow's tough response to Washington's sanctions, RIA Novosti reports.
“Biden threatened Putin with unprecedented sanctions, and Putin responded by saying that the sanctions would mean an almost complete rupture of Russian-American relations. I think that Putin said this for a reason, the warning was serious, ”the expert emphasized.
Lukin expressed hope that the American leader and his administration heard this. He stressed that the Russian president for the first time formulated the idea of a tough and unrestricted response to US sanctions, which is an important point.
Earlier, the aide to the Russian president, Yuri Ushakov, following the talks between the two presidents, said that Vladimir Putin allowed a break in relations between the countries in the event of the introduction of new, “unprecedented sanctions.” According to Ushakov, the American leader recalled that if the escalation on the Ukrainian border continues, Western countries will develop “large-scale sanctions”, including measures in the economic and military spheres.
The conversation between the Russian and American leaders began at 15.35 Washington time (23.35 Moscow time) on Thursday, December 30, and ended at 16.25 (00.25 Moscow time Friday, December 31), the White House said. In total, the dialogue lasted 50 minutes.
