"On February 24th, the world has witnessed yet another round of mindless economic and personal sanctions against Russia and its citizens. They once again want us to "suffer". Does anyone really believe that such measures will make our country give up its independent course, divert from the chosen path towards a multipolar world based on the principle of indivisible security, international law and the UN Charter?" Antonov said as quoted by the embassy’s press service, TASS reported.
According to him, the Washington administration fails to understand that "new supplies of weapons, like all the previous ones, only prolong the conflict, leading to continued bloodshed and in no way helping bring peace any closer."
He noted that the Russian army "keeps making strong progress in completing the tasks set before it to defend the Fatherland," and "is supported by the entire country."
"Washington and its allies are not succeeding in their attempts to "strangle" Russia with sanctions. We have learned to live under economic and political pressure. The Russian economy is being readjusted, and our capabilities in import substitution are increasing. Russia's agriculture is demonstrating impressive and enviable for many countries results. Even Bretton Woods institutions are predicting growth for our country already this year, the Ambassador stressed.
In most of the countries that have instigated the restrictions "the crisis is raging, they face a growing shortage of goods and a galloping inflation," Antonov noted.
"Previous experience with sanctions has shown that these primarily harm the global market and worsen the situation for ordinary citizens in the countries that initiate or support reckless sanctions," the Ambassador said.
The diplomat called the US claims about Russia being "isolated" "completely false."
"We are cooperating with the international community even more actively than before. The only difference is that we are now placing the emphasis on states that are ready to work on a mutually beneficial and equal basis, rather than on former partners who have lost our trust.
"Take a look at the web-resources of our Embassy, see the photos. You will find dozens of our friends from Latin America, Middle East, Asia, Africa, who came to the Russian diplomatic mission on February 23 to join us in celebrating Defender of the Fatherland Day," the Ambassador said.
"In fact, Washington is deliberately destroying the bilateral dialogue and international relations. And no one, including in the US administration, looks willing to search for a way out of this dive," he concluded.