Western countries have repeatedly threatened Russia with sanctions, they are expected, but this is not a reason to relax, since in the future the sanctions process will gain momentum, political scientist Yury Svetov shared his opinion with Izvestia on Wednesday, February 23.
“I think these are all expected things. They kept saying that Russia would pay. This is a typical American, British expression: “You will pay for this.” Well, we said: “Okay, we will pay with the recognition of these two republics.” Well, they imposed sanctions against these banks, what’s next? There will be sanctions, banks will look for an opportunity to work in other ways,” he said.
Svetov noted that Russian banks have already learned to work in conditions of restrictions, and the statements of Western countries about “unheard of sanctions” are more like saying “ritual words”. So far, one of the most serious threats that could be on the list of threats is the suspension of Nord Stream 2 certification.
“You can say with an old Russian saying: “swing for a ruble, and hit for a penny”, when [президент США Джо] Biden signed a ban on investment in the economy of these two republics. You might think that there was a queue of Americans for investing, ”the expert mocked.
He recalled that the names of entrepreneurs Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rotenberg have long been on the sanctions list, but this is no reason to relax, as the sanctions process will gain momentum.
“The same statement on Nord Stream 2… We are counting on other gas supplies, Qatar said that it cannot replace Russian supplies to Europe. So who can replace? The only country is the United States of America, by its bold decree. If the Europeans are ready to pay two or three times more for it than for the Russian one, well, they will continue these sanctions. If reason prevails, they will not do it. This is the use of economic methods in political struggle,” Svetov explained.
He told how over the past 50 years the United States has imposed sanctions against hundreds of countries. As long as this method works for the benefit of the White House, he will use it. Although sometimes the method does not work, as with Cuba.
“No matter how much they strangle, they bend their line. It did not quite work out with Iran either. These are the usual methods. As Vladimir Ilyich Lenin said, a concentrated economy is politics, ”concluded the political scientist.
In addition to sanctions, according to Svetov, the West will unleash a “powerful barrage” on Russia as part of the information war. He warned that “Western friends” would speak in unison about the political catastrophe that Russia initiated by recognizing the independence of the Donbass republics.
Joe Biden announced on February 22 the introduction of the first tranche of sanctions against Russia, and Washington may tighten sanctions depending on Moscow’s actions against Kiev. He also announced the use of restrictions on Russia’s sovereign debt. According to the American leader, the new restrictive measures will come into force on Wednesday, February 23.
Such a reaction from the West was caused by the signing by Russian President Vladimir Putin of decrees recognizing the independence of the LPR and DPR and treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. On February 22, the Russian leader signed federal laws on the ratification of friendship and cooperation treaties with the DPR and LPR.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the new Western sanctions against Russia illegitimate. The diplomat noted that Moscow has long understood that restrictions are the only tool of the West against the Russian Federation in order to restrain its development.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
