Putin Says West’s Anti-Russia Strategy Will Backfire as Moscow Posts 4.3% Growth

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on 6 July that the United States and its European allies will aggravate their own economic difficulties if they persist with policies aimed at isolating Moscow. Speaking at a public forum, he said Western governments are “spending billions of dollars” on military support for Ukraine instead of investing in domestic health care, social services and wage growth, and declared that “the further they continue the policy they have taken toward Russia, the worse for them.” Putin contrasted what he described as Western stagnation with Russia’s performance, claiming the Russian economy expanded 4.3% in 2024 while the euro area grew 0.9%. He also highlighted domestic mobilisation for the war effort, saying volunteer groups have supplied the army with about 110,000 drones that have destroyed equipment worth more than US$2 billion on the battlefield. The latest remarks echo comments he made on 27 June, when he said Western nations were “trying to bury our economy, but they’ll be the ones who collapse first.” The statements underscore the Kremlin’s contention that nearly three years of sanctions have failed to derail Russia’s economy and signal that Moscow sees sustained Western support for Kyiv as a vulnerability rather than a threat.