Kostin commented on the possible return of Western companies to Russia

In the current geopolitical environment, foreign companies are not ready to return to the Russian market. This was announced on June 19 at the Izvestia studio as part of SPIEF 2025 by VTB CEO Andrey Kostin.

"None of the Western companies voluntarily left Russia. <...> This was a decision made under pressure from political authorities in Europe and the United States. And no companies will return to us until this policy changes," he said.

At the same time, according to Kostin, European policy has no plans to change the vector, and the United States is in the process of thinking. The head of VTB expressed the opinion that the administration of the American leader Donald Trump sympathizes with Russia, but nevertheless takes a wait-and-see attitude.

"So far, I don't see [foreign] companies that would be able to enter the Russian market in the current geopolitical situation," Kostin stressed, adding that the situation is similar with foreign banks.

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Earlier in the day, Sergey Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in the Izvestia studio at SPIEF 2025 that foreign companies could return to Russia if certain conditions were met without harming Russian enterprises. According to him, first it is necessary to give domestic enterprises the opportunity to complete investment projects.