“We have a whole range of measures in our arsenal that we can take against Russia, whether it be economic sanctions or other measures ... economic costs hit Russia and this hit is strong,” TASS quoted him as saying.
Patel noted the strong dependence of the Russian economy on fossil fuels, given the lack of an alternative industry that could compensate for the decline in oil and gas profits.
“This is an example of how our actions continue to help hold Russia accountable,” the diplomat added.
The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov previously stressed that the residents themselves want to hold referendums on joining the Russian Federation in the liberated territories of Ukraine.
A senior representative of the US government noted that the United States does not recognize the accession of Donbass to Russia and rejects the results of a possible referendum.
According to him, the accession of certain territories of Ukraine to Russia would complicate the settlement of the conflict.