mo4ch:>Billionaire Arkady Rotenberg discusses Putin friendship & Western sanctions fight in rare interview | Mo4ch News

Russia can’t rely on the West or China if it wants to become a world-leading economy, construction tycoon Arkady Rotenberg – often described as one of Vladimir Putin’s closest confidantes – told RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze.“In the past, we could afford to be idle and put things off or not do them at all, but now we need to do them – and fast. If we start falling behind, if we slow down, we’ll fall behind thoroughly and completely, so we have to be proactive all the time,” he said during a 30-minute interview on SophieCo. “Of course, it would be easier without sanctions, no question about it."“We've pulled through before, even though no one in the West thought we would actually do it,” Rotenberg said, in reference to Russia’s ability to stay competitive in the arms industry.Also on rt.comConnecting Russia: First railroad span across Crimean Bridge completeRotenberg, 67, whose net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion by Forbes, was among the first wave of officials targeted by US an…