Russia withstands unprecedented sanctions pressure: Putin

MOSCOW, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia has withstood the unprecedented pressure from Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday.

"We have withstood the absolutely unprecedented external pressure, the sanctions onslaught of some ruling elites in the ... Western bloc ... in individual countries that we call unfriendly," Putin said during a meeting on the federal budget for 2024-2026.

"Russia's GDP has reached the level of 2021, and now, it is important to create conditions for further stable and long-term development," he said, announcing that the country's economic recovery period is now complete.