Former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder called for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union in response to the conflict in the Donbass and the reunification of the Crimean peninsula with Russia. According to the politician, it is especially necessary to restore full economic cooperation with Russia in the conditions of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Right now, when due to the crisis with coronavirus we are approaching difficult economic times, we need more cooperation. Therefore, meaningless sanctions must be eliminated, ”Schroeder said in an interview with Der Tagesspiegel, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.   

  • Gerhard Schroeder
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  • © Fabrizio Bensch

As the former German Chancellor noted, economic sanctions are still not able to influence the political course of Russia. Therefore, restriction does not make any sense.

“We cannot overestimate the fact that, despite this terrible past, Russia is ready to confidentially cooperate with the new Germany. At the same time, it’s not good for us to continue supporting sanctions against Russia, ”the politician emphasized.

It is worth noting that the topic of the possibility of lifting sanctions is being discussed in the current German government. So, in late April, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that sanctions in a pandemic are "unpleasant." According to her, Berlin is working to overcome the political problems that once served as the basis for the introduction of trade restrictions.

A similar point of view is held by a member of the international committee of the Bundestag, Waldemar Gerdt. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the politician called for the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions.

“Sanctions should have been lifted before this crisis caused by the coronavirus. However, now that the borders are closed, this topic is even more relevant, ”he stressed.

According to the parliamentarian, the restoration of trade with Russia would benefit the EU economic system.

The idea of ​​lifting sanctions is also supported on the left flank of German politics. As previously stated by the representative of the Left faction in the Bundestag on foreign policy issues, Alexander Noah, the sanctions against Russia do not bring any benefit to Germany.

  • Emmanuel Macron
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  • © Ludovic Marin / Pool

Doubts about the restrictions introduced against Russia are also heard in France. As President of the Fifth Republic Emmanuel Macron said in February this year, sanctions did not bring Europe a positive effect.

“We have frozen conflicts, mistrust, and sanctions that have changed absolutely nothing in Russia ... Our sanctions and counter-sanctions cost us Europeans a lot, almost more expensive than Russians,” Macron said at the Munich Conference. for safety.

The politician is convinced that Russia cannot be blocked and ignored, since it is part of Europe, as well as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.  

According to experts, politicians who declare the need to lift restrictive measures against Russia express the opinion of the broad business circles of Europe. As a leading researcher at the Center for German Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Kamkin, noted in a conversation with RT, a large number of European companies advocate the rejection of sanctions.

“A number of sectors of the European economy are interested in cooperation with the Russian side. The scale of losses can be imagined if we consider that before the sanctions in Russia, 6 thousand companies were represented only from Germany. Of course, sanctions markedly cut this cooperation, ”said the expert.

Alexander Kamkin agrees that the topic of lifting restrictions is of particular importance in light of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

“If sanctions and counter-sanctions were lifted, then this would give the European, and in particular the German economy, quite tangible stimulus. Do not forget that this year German GDP is expected to decrease by about 6%, which means rising unemployment and the emergence of difficulties in the social sphere, ”Kamkin recalled.

According to the expert, the return to the Russian market of German and European companies in general would have a positive effect on the European economy.

A similar point of view is shared by Andrei Suzdaltsev, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the HSE.

“European companies are in favor of lifting restrictions because it is a matter of their survival,” the expert said in an interview with RT.

The need for a weakening of the sanctions regime was previously called on by the UN. On April 24, the Secretary General of the organization, António Guterres, addressing the leaders of the G20 countries, said that in the event of a pandemic, the lifting of sanctions previously imposed on a number of countries will ensure their access to essential goods and medicines.

  • UN
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  • © Carlo Allegri

This idea was repeated in an interview with RIA Novosti by the chairman of the UN General Assembly, Tijani Muhammad-Bande. According to the official, sanctions in a pandemic further worsen the situation of countries vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus.

However, the leadership of the European Union rejects such proposals. According to the official representative of the European Commission, Peter Stano, speaking at a video briefing in early April, EU authorities do not see a problem in maintaining anti-Russian restrictions.

“These sanctions were introduced in connection with actions aimed at undermining the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, which means that they do not prevent Russia from fighting the outbreak of coronavirus,” the official stressed.

German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geir also expressed doubt that the sanctions would be lifted. 

“The issue of lifting (sanctions. - RT ) is directly linked to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, and in the current pandemic, I do not expect any changes,” the diplomat said in an interview with Interfax.

"Image loss"

As explained by Alexander Kamkin, such an uncompromising position of Brussels officials is due to the fact that EU bureaucratic circles have little concern about the economic interests of the countries participating in the union.

“European officials and business circles think in different planes. Business, as well as politicians advocating for it, think in real categories, while European officials proceed from political, Eurocentric considerations. In this context, it is quite difficult for Moscow and Brussels to conduct a dialogue, ”the expert believes.

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At the same time, the United States plays a key role in preserving anti-Russian sanctions - it is the orientation toward Washington that does not allow Brussels to abandon unconstructive rhetoric, experts say.

“In this way, the US is promoting the interests of its business in Europe, and talking about“ Russian aggression ”in Ukraine is just a cover,” the expert is sure.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic significantly affected the US position in the world, weakening American influence in other countries. This point of view was expressed in the editorial of the French newspaper Le Monde. The authors of the material analyzed the geopolitical consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and came to the conclusion that Washington no longer plays the role of world leader today, as it was in the last century. According to the authors, the United States itself has been evading the leadership mission in recent years, and the coronavirus pandemic has only intensified this trend.

“Another lesson: the United States no longer plays the role of world leader that it took on in the 20th century. In recent years, they have acted more restrainedly, and in this weakening crisis they completely got rid of it, ”the publication says.

Andrei Suzdaltsev partially agrees with this assessment.

“Indeed, the influence of the United States has declined; during the pandemic, they suffered enormous image losses. The state was not ready for such a situation and demonstrated to the world the fragility of American dominance even on its own territory, ”the expert noted.

According to Suzdaltsev, if the United States had really reduced its external activity and pressure on other countries, this would have allowed Europe to weaken or completely lift anti-Russian sanctions.

“However, there is no guarantee for just such a development of events, since there is a strong consensus between the Democrats and Republicans on the issue of the fight against Russia in the United States. And the European Union is under tight American control. So in the foreseeable future, big changes should not be expected. Moreover, Russia itself has reoriented its markets and replaced the import of a number of goods, ”added Suzdaltsev.

A restrained forecast regarding the prospects of lifting the sanctions was made by Alexander Kamkin. According to the expert, removing restrictions is a matter of time.

“Especially when you consider that in the EU countries the influence of Euro-skeptics is growing. In general, one can, albeit with caution, assume that certain shifts in the EU’s foreign policy will begin over time, ”the expert summed up.