Strategic patience: how the EU continues to lobby for anti-Russian sanctions to the detriment of its economy

The European Union will not lift sanctions against Russia if a peace agreement between it and Ukraine is concluded on Moscow's terms.

This was stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in an article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper.

At the same time, he noted that Brussels was aware from the very beginning that the restrictions would have to be preserved for a long time.

“They (sanctions. -

) are having an effect more and more every day ... And it is also clear to us that if peace imposed by Russia is established, none of these sanctions will be lifted.

There is no way for Russia to do without an agreement with Ukraine that can be accepted by the Ukrainians,” the German leader stressed.

According to him, Germany and the EU will continue to support Kyiv with economic, humanitarian and financial measures, as well as the supply of weapons, as long as it needs their help.

“We are part of the European Union and a strong military alliance with NATO.

And we act in accordance with strong convictions: out of solidarity with Ukraine, whose existence is threatened, but also to protect our own security, ”Scholz explained.

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

• AP

• © Markus Schreiber, File

At the same time, he acknowledged that the consequences of the Ukrainian events have a negative impact, in particular, on the inhabitants of Germany.

This is expressed primarily in high prices for gasoline and food.

Scholz's reasoning was not disregarded by the readers of the German magazine Der Spiegel.

They criticized the chancellor's stance on maintaining restrictions, calling it a "shot in the head" and a way to plunge the country into chaos.

Not one step back

Despite the significant damage that anti-Russian restrictive measures cause to Europe itself, a number of European politicians nevertheless share the views of the German chancellor.

Thus, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albarez, upon his arrival at the meeting of EU foreign ministers on July 18, said that supposedly no one in the European Union wants to lift the restrictions imposed on Russia.

“I don’t see any country planning to take a step back or slow down.

There is a seventh package (sanctions. -

) that is being prepared, in it we can expect the appearance of new individuals and enterprises that fall under the sanctions, ”TASS quoted him as saying.

For the fact that even more painful restrictions were introduced against Moscow, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who also arrived at the meeting, spoke out.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the already existing restrictions are detrimental to Austria itself.

“We need measures that affect Russia, and I think so far we have succeeded, but of course, we also have an impact.

Russia is an important trading partner, and we are an important trading partner for the Russians.

Russia is an important supplier of natural resources, such as oil and natural gas, ”RIA Novosti quotes Schallenberg.

Against this background, the foreign ministers of the EU countries agreed on a new list of anti-Russian sanctions.

At the same time, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary Péter Szijjarto clarified, it does not contain additional restrictions on energy supplies.

According to him, restrictions are imposed against 48 individuals, including one of the vice-premiers of the Russian government and several regional leaders.

The minister specified that the seventh package of restrictions would be finalized a little later. 

"The Price of Independence"

Meanwhile, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on July 17, in his blog on the EU website, called on the countries of the region to “be patient” in order to wait for the desired effect from the sanctions.

“Sanctions require strategic patience, as they may take a long time to have the desired effect ... The war will be long, the test of strength will continue.

We have no other choice,” the diplomat said.

At the same time, he acknowledged that as the conflict in Ukraine developed, not only Europeans, but also residents of other countries began to wonder whether the restrictions work, whether their side effects are too great, and whether they really damage the Russian economy.

“We do not downplay the various problems that may arise, including attempts to circumvent restrictive measures, but sanctions remain an important political tool,” Borrell said.

In his opinion, even if the restrictions do not change the trajectory of Russia in the short term, they supposedly should affect the amount of resources that the country has at its disposal.

On the same day, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, reacted to Borrell's reasoning.

In her Telegram channel, she pointed out to him that the effect of the sanctions is already there, but not at all the one that the West was counting on.

“Many EU residents immediately felt the effect of anti-Russian sanctions on themselves.

Residents of Asia, Africa and other remote regions also appreciated the unilateral illegitimate restrictions of Washington and Brussels against Russia, ”the diplomat emphasized.

A similar opinion was subsequently expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his article for the Izvestia newspaper.

He stressed that Europe, "built" by Washington on the anti-Russian front, suffers more than others from thoughtless sanctions.

“(Europe. -

) devastates its arsenals, supplying weapons to Kiev (without requiring an account of who then controls it and where it goes), freeing up its market for subsequent purchases of products of the US military-industrial complex and expensive American LNG instead of affordable Russian gas," the minister said.

In this regard, he stated that all the talk about the strategic autonomy of the European Union is "nothing more than a spectacle", especially against the background of the practical merger of the EU and NATO.

In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with the Iranian State Radio and Television on July 18, said that sanctions are the price for Russia's independence.

He noted that, like Tehran, Moscow has long been accustomed to the restrictions that have been introduced against it since the days of the Soviet Union.

• People with Russian flags

• RIA News

• © Pavel Bednyakov

“But, probably, this is the price that both our country and Iran pay for their independence and for their sovereignty,” Peskov stated.

"The Plan Failed"

According to Alexei Martynov, director of the International Institute of Recent States, Olaf Scholz's statement on the condition for lifting sanctions against Russia is a manifestation of his political commitment.

Therefore, Martynov argues, one should not look for logic between the position of the German Chancellor and the development of current events.

“Scholz’s words are interpreted quite unambiguously:“ We will never remove sanctions from you, and if Ukraine ends, then we will come up with another excuse to extend them, ”the political scientist explained in an interview with RT.

He also expressed his conviction that Brussels was in fact not ready for Russia to endure under the yoke of restrictions.

“They believed that their “hellish” sanctions would destroy the Russian economy for at least a couple of months.

This time in the EU they were ready to endure somehow, hoping that events would develop according to their plan.

However, the plan failed, and now in Brussels they don’t know what to do next, so they are fighting in anti-Russian hysteria,” says Martynov.

In turn, Leonid Krutakov, associate professor of the Department of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, believes that the sanctions imposed after the start of the Russian special operation marked the beginning of a new cold war.

And the further geopolitical structure of the world will depend on how it ends, the expert believes.

“If the West makes peace with Russia on its terms, this will mean that it has recognized the Russian Federation as a player of equal strength and that the rules imposed by it do not work in a multipolar environment.

Therefore, for the West, this is a fight for a long time, if not forever, ”Krutakov said in an interview with RT.

In his opinion, in order for the current situation to find any solution, it is necessary that in Europe national, rather than globalist forces prevail in the leading circles.

“Because the same Scholz is a graduate of the global European elite sponsored by Washington.

He is a representative of Anglo-Saxon interests in Germany, just like Emmanuel Macron in France.

All local European administrations govern their countries, fulfilling the tasks of the United States.

And as long as this continues, the interests of the Europeans will be infringed upon to please Washington, ”the analyst is sure.

In this regard, sanctions against Russia are also a purely American project, directed not only against the Russian Federation, but also to some extent against the EU, which has recently had “too” close ties with Moscow, Alexey Martynov believes.

“The US is not interested in an independent and economically independent European Union.

Therefore, the current restrictions are designed so that the Commonwealth countries also suffer some damage and forget all talk of sovereignty.

However, even in Washington, they did not expect that the sanctions would hit the EU so hard.

After all, they only wanted to break his ties with the Russian Federation, and not to receive a subsidized education in the future, ”summed up Martynov.