“The position that was declared by the European leaders in this case is quite logical. They continue to remain in the context of confrontation with the Russian Federation. If there was a reason to be surprised, it would have arisen in the case of exactly the opposite behavior. I have always proposed to proceed from the fact that sanctions are serious and for a long time. The collective West has set far-reaching goals for Russia, ”Novikov said.
According to him, “the European Union does not need a strong economic competitor”, a country that has a nuclear arsenal, and is also able to declare itself.
“In this context, the sanctions policy will continue. But the best antidote in this situation is the strengthening of the economic opportunities of our country. We need to increase economic potential. But we are dealing with the position of the European Union, and not the United States. Therefore, unlike the States, with which we have a small trade, Europe is interested in Russia. On the one hand, the EU cannot be turned off from the strategy formulated by the United States, but on the other hand, the degree of confrontation in Europe is not so high and to a large extent it follows the policy of Washington, ”the deputy concluded.
Earlier, participants in the European Union summit concluded that at present there are no conditions for lifting or easing sanctions against Russia imposed due to the Ukrainian crisis.