MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday said Western sanctions would have no effect on the country’s oil exports and predicted a big jump in profits from energy shipments this year.
“Considering the price level that has been established as a result of the West’s policies, we have suffered no budgetary losses,” the foreign ministry quoted him as telling a Bosnian Serb television station.
“On the contrary, this year we will significantly increase the profits from the export of our energy resources.”
Read more: Mercedes recalls one million older cars
On Monday, European Union leaders agreed in principle to cut 90% of oil imports from Russia by the end of this year to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.
“Oil, generally speaking, is not subject to politics, there is a demand for it … we have alternative sales markets, where we are already increasing sales,” said Lavrov.
