NEW DELHI : Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised Western sanctions and other forms of economic pressure on Friday, saying global competition was increasingly taking “ugly forms” and accusing governments of using restrictions and threats to advance their interests.

Speaking at the Leaders’ Session of the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi, Putin said such competition was no longer confined to economic measures.

“Sometimes competition is taking some ugly forms,” Putin said. “This ugly form is something we see even at the state level, at the government level.”

Putin cited the destruction of pipelines, attempts to block international transport corridors, the seizure of maritime vessels and what he called “illegal restrictions” as examples.

He also criticised the threat of secondary sanctions against countries and companies that maintain economic relationships targeted by Western restrictions.

Putin said more than 30,000 sanctions had been imposed on Russia, claiming the figure was twice the combined number of sanctions imposed on all other countries.

“Against this difficult backdrop, Russia has been working actively and Russia has managed to achieve great success,” he said.

Russia has faced successive rounds of sanctions from the United States, European Union and their allies since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, targeting sectors including finance, energy, technology and trade.

Putin said Moscow had responded by strengthening what he described as its national sovereignty and developing economic relationships with countries it considers reliable and predictable partners.

His comments came during the BRICS gathering in India, where leaders have been discussing global economic shifts, trade, investment and greater cooperation among emerging economies.

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