Our economy not in tatters, says Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro (unseen) at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on January 15, 2015. PHOTO | PAVEL GOLOVKIN |

What you need to know:

  • ‘Today, it is America that stands strong and united’.
  • Foreign leaders urged to support Russia opposition to US dominance.

MOSCOW, Wednesday

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and weapons chief has called the US president Barack Obama ‘a dreamer’ after he announced that the Russian economy was “in tatters” in his State of the Union address.

“Obama has claimed that the Russian economy [is] in tatters because of the United States. Like he has torn us like a dog would tear a rag. What a dreamer,” Mr Dmitry Rogozin wrote in his Twitter account.

Mr Rogozin currently holds the position of deputy prime minister in charge of the defence industry.

The statement was the first reaction of a senior Russian official on Mr Obama’s claim of US victory over Russia, made in Mr Obama’s State of the Union address.

“Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters- That’s how America leads—not with bluster, but with persistent, steady resolve,” the US leader said.

MP Frants Klintsevich, of the parliamentary majority party United Russia, said that Obama’s statement revealed the true attitude of the US ruling elite towards Russia as well as America’s plans of global dominance.

Mr Klintsevich added that he didn’t think it a coincidence Obama made this statement at a historical moment, when “Russia has found its place in the global political and economic system, understood its interests and learned to defend them.”

He called on foreign leaders to come to terms with Russia’s opposition to US global dominance, noting that this stems from the Russian geopolitical position.

“From this point of view, it makes no difference if Russia is a socialist or a capitalist country, or if it follows some other economic model,” the MP noted.

“For many years our country obviously failed to perform as a counterbalance and as a result we now have what we have a monopolar world. The situation has begun to change radically and the United States is obviously unhappy with this.”

Meanwhile, Moscow yesterday blasted the United States over the arrest of an alleged Russian spy, condemning the move as a “provocation” that would further damage already tattered ties.

“The US has decided to launch the latest stage of its anti-Russian campaign,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, accusing Washington of “stoking spy mania”.

“We demand an end to this series of provocations by the US security services against representatives of Russia,” said the statement from ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.

Mr Lukashevich lashed out at US authorities for providing “no evidence” to back up their claims that the arrested man, banker Evgeny Buryakov, 39, is a spy and demanded his immediate release.

The top human rights official at the foreign ministry, Konstantin Dolgov, said that Russian consular representatives were trying to get access to the detainee and would “defend all his rights.”

(AFP, Agencies)