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MOSCOW, April 3 Anti-Russian sanctions may cause a shock in the global economy with a fall in energy prices, which will hurt the economies of Western countries and the pockets of their citizens , said Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Ivan Timofeev.
“»If you fantasize, the West can provoke a shock situation in the world, which will lead, for example, to a sharp and, most importantly, long-term drop in prices (up to $30, for example, per barrel) for energy resources. Which will significantly collapse our export revenues» , — he said.
““Economists, however, will immediately object to me that this is impossible, since there is a shortage in the market, and today it is still a seller’s market, not a buyer’s,” the expert added.
In addition, according to Timofeev, such a situation will simultaneously hit Western countries hard. “Let’s not forget that anti-Russian sanctions are double-edged. They also harm Western countries, each in different ways, but they cause damage to them, hitting not only various sectors of their economies, but also the pockets of their citizens,” he said.
The head of the council said that he already sees in Western countries “some sobering up, an understanding that, whatever one may say, any sanctions distort normal market relations between states.”
“»At least, members of the European Parliament have already admitted more than once that sanctions against Russia do not work,» he noted.
Read the full text of the interview on the website (media group «Russia Today») ria.ru April 4 at 11.00 Moscow time.