Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the latest sanctions by the United States were "serious" but stressed that they were not strong enough to majorly affect his country's economy. His comments came after the US hit Russia's two biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, with sanctions -- first of the kind since Donald Trump started his second term earlier this year. Putin also warned that the sanctions may hamper Russia-US relations which he said had "only just begun to recover."

According to news agency AFP, Putin said: "They (the US sanctions) are serious for us, of course, that is clear. And they will have certain consequences, but they will not significantly impact our economic well-being." He further described the action as an "unfriendly act" that "does not strengthen

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