Putin commented on the sanctions with the proverb “If there were no happiness, but misfortune helped”

“Of course, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped: after all, this is a powerful step towards further sovereignization, towards increasing our economic and financial sovereignty, this is very important,” Putin said at a meeting with the head of Sberbank German Gref.

Putin stressed that Russia as a whole managed to overcome the difficulties and problems that are trying to create it from the outside in various areas.

Earlier, Putin called the task for 2023 to maintain a positive trend in the development of the economy.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that the Russian authorities were able to prevent a negative scenario for the development of events in the economy, but it is necessary to strengthen the dynamics of the country's development, taking into account external factors.