Sanctions may give opportunity to protect national interests: Putin

Moscow [Russia], Oct 3 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that it would be good if everyone who wanted to impose sanctions on Russia do so immediately so that Russia could use all the tools it has to protect its national interests.
"Sometimes I think that it would be good for us if everyone willing to impose sanctions would introduce all the sanctions as soon as possible. That would give us an opportunity to protect our national interests with the tools that we consider as most effective for us," Putin said at the Russian Energy Week (REW).
The President pointed out that Russia was not supporting any illegal sanctions."You know that is not us, who is introducing sanctions against the United States and West. We respond with very reserved steps, very careful ones, in order to prevent harm, primarily, for ourselves. We will continue to do this in the future," Putin added.
While speaking about Russian energy supplies to Europe, Putin said that there are some things that mean more than political intrigues.
"There are some things that mean more than political intrigues. This concerns, for example, the deliveries to the Federal Republic of Germany. Not everyone knows that Germany has made the decision to close the nuclear energy sector, while the nuclear energy accounts for 34 percent of the general energy balance. What can this vacuum be covered with?" Putin said.
The Russian President said he understands United States President Donald Trump's position on energy industry issues, noting that Trump defends the interests of his country and businesses. "I understand Donald [Trump]. He is struggling for the interests of his country, for the interests of his business. He is doing it right, I would do the same in his place," Putin said speaking at a plenary session of the Russian Energy Week.
Commenting on the possibility of the US imposing sanctions on settlements in dollars, Putin said that the US is making a mistake by discrediting the dollar as a reserve currency.
"It seems to me that our American partners make a huge strategic mistake, undermine confidence in the dollar as a universal reserve currency... They undermine trust in it, as in this universal tool, they really bite the hand that feeds them. It seems to me that this is a typical mistake of any empire, when people think that nothing will happen, everything is so powerful, so strong, stable that there will be no negative consequences. But they occur early or late," Putin said. (ANI/Sputnik)