Kudrin: sanctions against Russia to remain for few years

The anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West will remain in the next few years, but some of them are likely to be eased during that period, the head of the Center for Strategic Development, Alexei Kudrin, said.

"The impact of sanctions has reduced. I think that the core of the sanctions will remain for the next few years. But some them will start to shrink earlier," TASS cited him as saying.

The former minister, who now heads the country’s main think tank on economic policy, said that in the first two years of sanctions, their influence on the Russian economy amounted to 1% GDP.