OREANDA-NEWS Larry Elliott, an economics editor at The Guardian, said that Russia is winning the economic war unleashed against it by the West, according to a Gazeta.ru article.

In his opinion, the West imposed sanctions on Russia not because it considered them "the best option," but because they were better than "inaction or military intervention. Meanwhile, Elliott noted, it's been three months since the West declared economic war on Russia, but it's "not going according to plan" and "very bad indeed." The sanctions have had the opposite effect: Russian oil and gas prices have risen, greatly strengthening its trade balance and financing of the special operation in Ukraine.

Europe, on the other hand, is gradually "weaning itself off the consumption of Russian energy resources," while Russia has no difficulty in finding alternative markets for its goods, writes a British journalist. For example, oil and gas exports to China in April increased by more than 50% year on year, the author of the article pointed out.
According to The Guardian, the annual inflation rate in Britain has reached 9%, the highest in 40 years. Gasoline prices also reached record heights.

Earlier, The New York Times sources said that Russia may use a new "trump card" to force the West to soften its sanctions.