RIA Novosti: Medvedev: Russia to Stick to Current Development Course Despite External Disturbances

MOSCOW, September 7 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is not planning to change its development course, despite being subject to external disturbances, according to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

“The conditions for economic development, for the development of the country and people’s lives are certainly not simple. Speaking bluntly, as a member of the country’s leadership, I can say that I there is a feeling that we have been subject to external disturbances starting from 2008, and things weren’t smooth before that either,” Medvedev said in an interview to the Vedomosti newspaper Sunday.

Asked about what the state, the business community and the society should aim for, the Prime Minister said “We do not change our banners.”

In March, the United States and the European Union introduced the first a package of targeted sanctions against Russia, in response to Crimea’s reunification with the Russian Federation.

As the Ukrainian crisis escalated, several rounds of sanctions from the United States and its allies followed, including those targeting Russia’s defense, energy and banking sectors.

Moscow has repeatedly called the language of sanctions “counterproductive,” saying the measures “threaten international peace and stability” and run counter to the principles of international law.