MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) – American companies see Russia as a prospective and rich market and none of big players have left the country so far despite the recently introduced sanctions, the president of the US-Russia Chamber of Commerce said on Monday.
“None of the big companies have left yet, or are going to leave, they hope for a quick resolution to the crisis and expect to go back to the good old times,” Alexis Rodzianko said at the World Russia Forum 2014.
Rodzianko said the activity of US companies has not changed much after the economic crisis of 2008 and the current situation is the biggest test for them.
“[Sanctions] are not absolute. There has been no order for them to leave Russia... but they make their business more expensive,” he said. “The sanctions from the US and EU - none of my companies like them. They are not aimed to please businesses, they aim to complicate the work of businesses here, to harm the Russian economy,” he added.
“Our duty is to ensure [that] they continue working,” he said.
The United States and the European Union have been introducing sanctions against Moscow since Crimea’s reunification with Russia in March, which the West considers illegal, and Russia claims to be fully legitimate.
The European Commission has confirmed that another package of sanctions against Russia may get final approval Monday.
