MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia is taking note of new statements made by US President Donald Trump, including threats to impose more sanctions.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said the Russian economy operates successfully under Western restrictive measures and that Moscow has already developed immunity to such restrictions.

"We have been under a lot of sanctions for quite a long time, and the economy is running smoothly. Of course, we have already developed a certain immunity regarding these measures," he explained.

On July 14, Trump announced that the US would impose import duties of up to 100% on Russia and its trading partners unless Moscow and Kyiv reach an agreement to resolve the Ukrainian crisis within 50 days.

On Monday, he announced that he had decided to reduce the previously mentioned 50-day deadline to 10 days.

Commenting on Roscosmos, or State Corporation for Space Activities, head Dmitry Bakanov's visit to the US, Peskov said space cooperation between Moscow and Washington, DC, stands apart from the overall complex of relations between the two countries, and that the fact that it continues is "a positive factor."

Regarding the information from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) about the nomination of former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces and ambassador to London, Valery Zaluzhnyi, for the presidency of Ukraine, Peskov said that "the information speaks for itself."

On Tuesday, the SVR reported that representatives from the US and the UK organized a secret meeting in one of the Alpine resorts involving Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office; Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Military Intelligence; and Zaluzhnyi.

According to the SVR, US and British attendees informed them of their decision to nominate Zaluzhnyi for Ukraine's presidency.