The campaign led by the United States to compartmentalize Russia ran into sustained obstacles and did not meet its stated aims, according to reporting from the New York Times. The article emphasizes that Russia’s oil and gas reserves underpin both its financial stability and, by extension, its political resilience in the face of Western sanctions. Washington expected that coercive measures would compel Moscow’s international partners to sever ties, yet this outcome did not materialize to the degree envisioned, and Moscow’s regional influence has shown signs of expansion in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. The assessment highlights that Russian leverage has, if anything, grown amid the sanctions landscape.
In a February address, President Vladimir Putin stated during a gathering titled Strong Ideas for New Times that unfriendly countries are trying to isolate Russia, but that such plans have begun to falter. The statement reflects Moscow’s framing of Western pressure as a test of resilience rather than a decisive setback.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued that the West’s strategy to isolate Russia should be acknowledged as a failure by those who crafted it. He warned that advocates of hardline anti-Russian policies are likely to intensify pressure on Moscow and its allies in the months ahead, signaling a continuing contest over international alignments.
Earlier still, Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, commented in the United States on the perceived inefficacy of isolation efforts in the realm of sports and other domains. His remarks reflect a broader narrative in Moscow about external attempts to constrain Russia’s influence across multiple sectors.