This is not good...
QuoteRussian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that Washington's new biting sanctions against his country will boomerang and hit back at US national interests.
"Without any doubt in this case (sanctions) are driving Russian-US relations towards a dead-end, (and) are inflicting very serious damage on them," the state news agency ITAR TASS quoted Putin as saying while on a visit to Brasilia.
"And I am convinced that this will harm the national long-term interests of the American state, the American people," Putin told reporters.
considering that China and the Russians are pushing for a new reserve currency, this does not bode well...
QuoteThe Russian strongman reacted sarcastically when a journalist said that Washington had slapped new sanctions against Russia and asked to comment.
"You don't say!" he was quoted as saying.
Russian stock markets fell around three percent at the open Thursday.
The MICEX bourse fell 2.52 percent on opening, while the dollar-denominated RTS exchange fell 3.44 percent, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. The markets then rallied slightly.
Putin, who is on a six-day visit to Latin America, appeared to put on a brave face and indicated Moscow will take time to weigh the possible damage before responding.
"One has to look what these sanctions are, to sort this out thoroughly, without haste, calmly," he was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS.
He accused the United States of behaving aggressively and pointed to crises in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.
US officials, he said, are conducting "rather aggressive foreign policy and rather unprofessionally at that, in my opinion."
more at link
http://news.msn.com/world/putin-says-sanctions-inflict-serious-damage-to-us-russia-ties
seeker
Putin, a multi-billionaire, could care less. He's playing it up for the masses.