Russian CEO Strikes Out at U.S., European Sanctions as ‘Equivalent to War’

Sergey Chemezov, the CEO of Rostec, a Russian state-owned technology conglomerate, was asked in an interview today with business daily RBK about the current sanctions being imposed on Russia. They “can certainly not be called soft,” he said. “They have done everything possible to make life difficult. Very tough sanctions are, in fact, war. And we must, of course, be prepared for war.” He said that he didn’t think the U.S. and the European countries were prepared for war, “especially the Europeans.” There is great mutual trade between Russia and Europe. “Because of sanctions, they are deprived of our market, of the possibility of selling their products in Russia, of participating in modern projects. Of course, the Europeans are not thrilled about this,” Chemezov said. “The influence of the Americans on the Europeans is still quite strong. They will do everything to keep the European countries in their orbit.”