President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will never bow to pressure from the United States or any other country, warning that the response to any attack deep into Russian territory would be extremely serious and overwhelming.

US sanctions are an "unfriendly" measure and "will have certain consequences, but they will not significantly affect our economic well-being," Putin said. He said the Russian energy sector is confident. "This is, of course, an attempt to pressure Russia," Putin said. "But no self-respecting country and no self-respecting people will make decisions under pressure."

Putin said that disrupting the balance in the global energy market could lead to price increases that would be uncomfortable for countries like the United States, especially given the country's internal political calendar.

Asked about a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration had lifted key restrictions on Ukraine's use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's statement about domestic missiles with a range of 3,000 km (1,900 miles), Putin said: "This is an escalation attempt."

"But if such weapons were used against Russian territory, the response would be very serious, perhaps even excessive. Let them think about it," Putin said. (alg)

Source: Reuters