The Kremlin rejected on Wednesday the warning of American President Donald Trump that the Russian economy will collapse, stating that Russia has considerable reserves and is strong enough to allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to achieve his goals, reports Reuters.
Trump argued on Tuesday that Putin simply does not want to end the conflict with Ukraine, which has been going on for more than three and a half years. “And I think that makes him look very bad. He could end it. He could end it quickly,” added the US president, who also mentioned “long lines at the gas station” and said that “the Russian economy will collapse”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press on Wednesday that he does not want to comment on Trump’s remarks about Russia, but that Putin is open to finding a way to end the war and that Moscow is grateful to Trump for his efforts.
“As for the Russian economy, it has a sufficient and considerable safety margin to allow the country’s leadership and all of us to implement the plans we have set,” he wanted to specify.
Also, while Trump presented BRICS as “an attack on the dollar”, Peskov emphasized that this group, formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and other countries, was never directed against other countries or their currencies. Reuters notes that Russia’s economy is experiencing a drastic slowdown this year, and the government forecasts a 1% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) after a 4.3% increase in 2024 and a 4.1% increase in 2023, although the International Monetary Fund has downgraded its forecasts for 2025 from 0.9% to 0.6%.