KALININGRAD, June 27. /TASS/. Western attempts to strangle Russia financially and economically have proven unsuccessful, as Moscow has withstood the sanctions blitzkrieg, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Alexander Trofimov told TASS in an interview on the sidelines of an expert dialogue at the Valdai International Discussion Club.

"We have withstood the sanctions-driven economic blitzkrieg thanks to the consistent efforts of the Russian government, society, and the business community. Attempts to financially and economically strangle Russia have been and will remain unsuccessful. Of course, one cannot say that these measures have had absolutely no impact or caused no pain. However, the point is that our opponents and enemies have not achieved their goals through them," he noted.

According to Trofimov, the West’s unilateral coercive measures are merely a tool for pressuring various countries. "In the case of Russia, this is an attempt to force us to submit, to make political concessions, and to comply with the conditions and order that have been imposed - and continue to be imposed - by the West. In general, unilateral coercive measures are a tool used against geopolitical rivals. But when it comes to Russia, these calculations do not hold up," the diplomat pointed out.

"Russia may be the champion [in terms of sanctions imposed], but we are not alone. Consider Belarus or Iran, for example. Sanctions were imposed on them before they were imposed on Russia. Let’s not forget Cuba, which has been under the yoke of sanctions for many decades. There is also China, against which pressure has been steadily mounting," Trofimov added.