UKRAINE : A resident clears a fragment of a Grad rocket launcher from his house destroyed as a result of shelling between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants in the eastern Ukrainian village of Krasnyi Pakhar, northeast of Donetsk — AFP MOSCOW, Nov 23 (agencies): President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Sunday that Russia did not want to isolate itself behind a new Iron Curtain, which he said would be disastrous for the country.
Asked if Russia wanted to build new fences, he said, "We don't. And we won't do this. We understand the disastrous consequence of an Iron Curtain for us.
"In other countries there have been periods when countries tried to barricade themselves off from the rest of the world, paying a very high price for this," Putin said in the interview with TASS news agency.
President Vladimir Putin denied Moscow would be isolated internationally over the Ukraine crisis and said Russia's economy would not be the only one to suffer from Western sanctions and falls in oil prices and the rouble.
The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and its backing for separatists in the east opposed to Kiev's rule.
"We understand the fatality of an 'Iron Curtain' for us," Putin was quoted as saying the TASS news agency in an interview published on Sunday. "We will not go down this path in any case and no one will build a wall around us. That is impossible!"
Sanctions have hit Russia's weak economy and sparked a slide in rouble, pressure exacerbated by a sharp drop in the global price for oil, one of Russia's main exports.
"If the price of energy is lowered on purpose, this also hits those who introduce those limits," Putin said.
"It's far from certain that sanctions, sharp falls in the oil price (and) the depreciation of the national currency will cause negative effects or catastrophic consequences only for us. No such thing will happen!"
Putin linked the oil price slide to the rise in U.S. shale oil and gas production, increased output from Libya and Saudi Arabia, as well as output from Iraq, including what he said were black market sales by Islamic State militants who control swathes of that country.
Meanwhile: Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering running for a fourth Kremlin term in 2018, which would see him stay in power until 2024, the TASS news agency reported Sunday.
"Yes, the possibility exists of my standing as a candidate again. Whether or not it will happen, I don't know yet," Putin said in an interview.
He said that although the constitution allows him to stand for another term, "that absolutely doesn't mean that I will take such a decision. I will look at the general context, my inner feelings, my mood."
"Is it really necessary to think about this now? 2014 isn't yet over and you're talking about 2018," Putin asked.
At the same time, he ruled out staying on as president forever. "No, that's wrong for the country, it's harmful, and I don't need it," Putin said.
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