Massive economic punitive measures are intended to weaken Russia – but the local economy is growing. “The logic of democracies does not apply to autocracies,” says Foreign Minister Baerbock.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has expressed disappointment with the impact of the sanctions against Russia over the war of aggression against Ukraine.
“Actually, economic sanctions would have economic effects. But that’s not the case. Because the logic of democracies doesn’t work in autocracies,” said the Green politician in an interview with journalist Stephan Lamby for his book “Ernstfall. Governing in Times of War “, which appears today. “We have seen that this war cannot be ended with rational decisions, rational measures taken between civilized governments.”
According to Lamby, he conducted the interview on July 10 of this year. The book author and documentary filmmaker has accompanied the protagonists of the traffic light government with a camera team since the day before they were sworn in in the Bundestag on December 8, 2021. The film will be broadcast on ARD on September 11th. The approximately 400-page book is now available three weeks in advance.
Economists: No sustainable growth in Russia
The western allies hit Russia with massive economic punitive measures after the attack on Ukraine. Despite this, the Russian economy is growing, while the German economy slipped into recession at the beginning of the year. However, Western economists emphasize that Russia owes its growth above all to its war economy and the massive increase in the production of weapons and ammunition. That is not sustainable growth.
In the book, Baerbock is also critical of the German government’s initial reluctance to travel to Kiev. When Lamby asked if she had any regrets during her tenure, she replied: “Maybe we should have gone to Ukraine with several people early on, as part of this government.”
Baerbock was the first member of the government to travel to the war zone on May 10, 2022 – two and a half months after the Russian invasion. At that time, numerous heads of state and government from European allies were already there for a solidarity visit, as was opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU). Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) only followed in June.
Source: Stern
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