Anti-Russian sanction ‘illegitimate way of competition’ – Putin

The imposition by the West of anti-Russian sanctions is an illegitimate way of competition that constitutes an attempt to contain the growth of Russian defencive capability, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

“It has always been like this in our history: once Russia becomes a powerful and strong state, our partners begin to panic and attempt to hinder the country’s development.

“It is just a way of competition, an illegitimate one, an unfair one, but it is just the way it is. [It is also] an attempt to contain the growth of our defense capability,” Putin said in a documentary film, directed by Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyev.

Speaking about U.S. restrictions, in particular, Putin stressed that they were a sign of Washington’s weakness and a manifestation of its incompetence.

“[The U. S.] has included all at once in a list, named all enemies. It is a sign of weakness rather than strength, when someone tries to lump it all together, it does not work that way.

“It is a manifestation of incompetence,” Putin explained.
Relations between Russia and Western states deteriorated against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis.

Brussels and Washington placed the blame for the eastern Ukrainian conflict on Russia while continuing to refuse to recognize Crimea’s reunification with Russia, which happened as a result of the peninsula’s March 2014 referendum.

The U. S. and the European Union showed their disapproval of Russia’s alleged meddling in Ukrainian affairs by introducing several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions, in spite of the fact that Moscow had repeatedly refuted the allegations.