Moscow March 10 2022: Russian President Putin says the Russian government can take over the assets of foreign companies pulling out of Russia.
He says Russia can “introduce external management” of those businesses closing their production facilities, and then “hand these enterprises to those who are willing to work.”
“We’ll find a legal way to do this,” he says.
He says demand is growing for certain things but he’s in no doubt these problems will be resolved – “people will understand that there is simply nothing that we cannot resolve”.
He then points the finger at the West, saying they’ve been “calling on their citizens to tighten their belts and put on some warm clothes” – and blaming the sanctions for the situation getting worse. “It’s all looking very strange,” he says.
He goes on to insist Russia is meeting its obligations on energy supplies and is not to blame for price rises.
“It’s the result of their own miscalculations – don’t blame us.”