‘What a Dreamer’: Russian Deputy PM on Obama’s State of the Union Address

During his State of Union address, US President Barack Obama said that anti-Russian sanctions isolated Russia and had an impact on the decline of its economy.

MOSCOW, January 21 (Sputnik) — Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Wednesday called US President Barack Obama a "dreamer" after he boasted of having isolated and crippled Russia economically over the Ukraine crisis.

"Obama said the Russian economy is 'in tatters' thanks to US… What a dreamer," Rogozin said in a Twitter post.

In his state of the nation address to Congress, Obama claimed that almost a year after Russia's alleged "aggression" against Ukraine, Washington succeeded at isolating Moscow, leaving its economy severely damaged.

"Last year, as we were doing the hard work of imposing sanctions along with our allies, some suggested that Mr. Putin's aggression was a masterful display of strategy and strength. Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters," Obama said in the annual State of the Union address.

Over the past year, the United States and its Western allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia, culminating with economic restrictions that targeted the country's energy, defense and banking sectors, as well as certain individuals.

Russia argues its economic turmoil is due to the historic fall in global oil prices, and to a much lesser extent, sanctions placed on the country. In August, Moscow retaliated with a one-year ban on food imports from countries involved in the sanctions on Russia.