MOSCOW, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Russia will be able to withstand possible restrictions on Russian debt that are being discussed by the United States, relying on domestic banks to provide enough demand for government bonds, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Friday.
Siluanov also said that the current weakness in the rouble is caused by geopolitical factors, adding that such rapid swings in the exchange rate are usually temporary.
The Russian rouble fell sharply on Friday, extending its biggest drop in 15 months on fears over an escalation of geopolitical tensions between Moscow and the West while government bonds and stocks suffered heavy losses. (Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Toby Chopra)
