The government dismissed Putin’s criticisms as desperate posturing.

On Wednesday, at a meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech decrying the actions of the United States. Specifically, Putin claimed that the numerous sanctions that the US and others have placed upon Russia as punishment for their ongoing invasion of Ukraine are causing Europe’s ongoing energy cost crisis. Putin decried the western powers as a “danger” to the world, pursuing a global “dictatorship.”

Today, the United States government fired back at Putin, dismissing his speech as an act of obvious misdirection from the fact that Russia is struggling to maintain its offensive against Ukraine.

Putin claims the U.S. wants to preserve global 'dictatorship' and is sacrificing Europe https://t.co/V6Pt4MdK5s

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 7, 2022

A State Department spokesperson told CNBC that the “sanctions and export controls are working, and President Putin is desperate to convince the world otherwise.”

“Despite President Putin’s comments at the Eastern Economic Forum, Russia is paying a heavy price for his full-scale war on Ukraine, which continues to result in climbing costs – tens of thousands of Russian soldiers killed, 14 million Ukrainian citizens forced to flee their homes, historic cities pounded to rubble – all because Putin is determined to conquer another country,” the official said.

Putin threatens to let Europe 'freeze' over winter, raising risk of energy rationing https://t.co/3G4geAUnsO

— CNBC (@CNBC) September 8, 2022

The spokesperson added that, more than any damage in Europe, the sanctions are doing the most damage to the Russian economy, as intended. “Russia’s economy is vulnerable to the cutoff from the global economy and will surely suffer a sustained decline in economic activity. Putin’s war is projected to wipe out much of Russia’s economic gains over the last 15 years.”