Putin suggested that the countries that refuse to do business with Moscow are hurting themselves by not doing so.
"Our economy will be open, whoever isn't interested will be robbing themselves," Putin said during a meeting with young Russians. It's not possible to fence off a country like Russia and we aren't planning to do that ourselves.
The US and its European allies have imposed a number of economic sanctions on Russia.
The measures have had a huge effect on the Russian economy. The country is expected to plunge into a deep recession in the second quarter as a result of the exodus of major companies. The country's central bank estimated that the economy could shrink as much as 10% in the next four years, and that the sanctions will cause Russian growth to slow.
The Kremlin is acting like it isn't getting any hotter. The Russian government rakes in billions of dollars in energy exports despite being hit with more sanctions than any other country. The UK and Europe still rely on the country's natural gas, despite the West's attempts to cap the sector. The sale of discounted oil and gas to India and China by the Kremlin continues to bolster the government's energy revenue and help fund its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin compared himself to Peter the Great, the emperor who expanded Russia's territory and helped turn it into a major power in Europe. The invasion of Ukraine was justified by Putin as part of a historic attempt to claim lands that he characterized as belonging to Russia.
Peter the Great was not taking away anything, but returning and reinforcing, according to Putin.
He said that it fell to our lot to return and reinforce. If we operate on the idea that these basic values are the basis of our existence, we will be able to achieve our goals.
Putin characterized the war as part of an effort to expand Russian territory, which was contrary to what he had said about the invasion.
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