BLUSTER

Kremlin: Sanctions Against Putin Wouldn’t Even Leave a Mark

The Russian leader’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, mocked U.S. lawmakers, saying they should seek better “expertise” on Russia.

The Kremlin offered a scathing response Wednesday after President Joe Biden threatened to level sanctions on Vladimir Putin personally if the country invades Ukraine. Dmitry Peskov, the Russian leader’s spokesman, told reporters any sanctions against Putin and the top leadership of the country would be “politically destructive” but “not painful.” He accused U.S. lawmakers who drafted the potential sanctions of ignorance on Russian matters. “U.S. congressmen and senators who do not understand this topic talk about freezing assets, bank accounts, real estate, and so on, but this, apparently, is due to the fact that they do not have sufficient expertise and they are not asking those who professionally specialize in Russia.” His comments came as leaders from France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine gathered in Paris for four-way talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, doubled down on the saber-rattling as the country held new military drills, vowing to take action against any “aggressive” moves by the U.S. or its European partners.