Kremlin says Russia has learned to minimize impact of sanctions

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia has learned to minimize the impact of sanctions imposed on the country.

Commenting on US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement on Wednesday that Washington will not renew its waiver on Russian oil, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this was a “predictable” and “possible” scenario.

“We have been living under the weight of sanctions for months and years … and we have already learned to act in a way that minimizes the consequences of such measures for our interests,” Peskov said.

Last month, the US announced it had temporarily authorized the purchase of Russian oil already stranded at sea in an effort to stabilize global energy markets.

Bessent, at the time, described the move as a “narrowly tailored, short-term measure” that applies only to oil already in transit. The Treasury Department’s exemption allowing purchases of Russian oil at sea started on March 12 and expired on April 11.