Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday admitted that the latest round of US sanctions under President Donald Trump were “serious” and would have “certain consequences” for Russia, though he insisted they would not cripple the economy.“They (sanctions) are serious for us, of course, that is clear. And they will have certain consequences, but they will not significantly impact our economic well-being,” Putin told reporters. He described the sanctions as an “unfriendly act” that “does not strengthen Russia-US relations, which have only just begun to recover.”The Trump administration today imposed what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “massive sanctions” against Russia’s energy sector, directly targeting state oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. The move came after months of appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and bipartisan pressure in Washington to strike at the heart of Moscow’s war financing.Also read | Bessent said the measures were aimed at cutting off “the Kremlin’s war machine” and urged allies to follow suit. “We encourage our partners to join us and adhere to these sanctions,” he said.Trump, speaking shortly after the announcement, said he hoped the sanctions would push Putin to the negotiating table. “Hopefully he’ll become reasonable,” Trump said. “And hopefully Zelenskyy will be reasonable, too. You know, it takes two to tango, as they say.”The sanctions were unveiled as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Trump in Washington. Rutte said the decision was “exactly the type of action we needed,” crediting US-made air defence systems with helping Ukraine repel recent Russian attacks.Also read | ‘Strong immunity to Western restrictions’: Russia hits out as Trump sanctions its oil firms; ‘step entirely counterproductive’Moscow’s reaction, however, has been furious. Former President Dmitry Medvedev called the move “an act of war,” accusing Washington of abandoning diplomacy. “The United States is our adversary,” he wrote on Telegram, claiming Trump had “fully embarked on the warpath against Russia.”