Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said while visiting the New York Stock Exchange on December 5, 2012 that he expected that the friction forces created by the Magnitsky Act will not affect contacts between businessmen.

“As you know, Russia is preparing measures in response to the Magnitsky list. This is a political aspect of relations between Russia and the U.S. I hope this will not affect businessmen. This might affect officials, but not businessmen involved in bilateral trade,” Shuvalov said at a meeting with a group of international investors.

Shuvalov said international investors asked him about Russian economic development plans, primarily the privatization program.