主题：【原创】普京的台阶在哪里？ -- 本嘉明

“Claims that Russia cannot fulfil its sovereign debt obligations are untrue,” Russia Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told state-controlled Russia Today earlier this week. “We have the necessary funds to service our obligations.”

But Moscow has accused the West of seeking to trigger an "artificial default" on Russia's $38.5 billion of foreign currency sovereign debt. The Kremlin says Russia is able and willing to pay its debts, yet is barred from doing so due to sanctions levied against the country in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

Wednesday's $117 million interest payment was the first test of whether Moscow's complaint is true.

Siluanov told RT Arabic on Wednesday that Russia had deposited its debt repayment with its foreign correspondent bank in London but said the ministry could not guarantee whether the bank would accept the transaction, because of U.S. sanctions prohibiting banks from engaging in business with certain Russian entities.