Dmitry PeskovWASHINGTON, Mar 29Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Russia exists in an unfriendly reality, feels «in the middle of a war» in the economy and trade, the country needs to adapt to new conditions. «We need to adapt to new conditions. Unfortunately, these conditions are quite unfriendly. They are hostile to us… We in Russia feel like we are in the midst of a war, the countries of Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, they are waging war against us in trade, in the economy, in seizing our property, in seizing our funds, blocking our financial relations. We need to adapt to the new reality,» Peskov told the American PBS channel. Western countries have imposed new anti-Russian sanctions, including against Russian banks and enterprises, in response to Russia's special operation in Ukraine. A number of companies announced their withdrawal from the Russian market and the closure of production facilities in the Russian Federation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that Western companies that refuse to work with Russia did so under enormous pressure, but Russia will solve all the problems with the economy that the West creates for it. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people. Putin also said that the United States and the European Union had effectively defaulted on their obligations to Russia, freezing its foreign exchange reserves. He added that the current events draw a line under the global dominance of the West in both politics and the economy. Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, as of March 25, they have completed the main tasks of the first stage — they have significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
