According to White House officials, the Obama Administration believes the European Union will agree to “strong sanctions” against Russia in the coming days, with a focus primarily on the arms sector and financial sector.
Reports out of Europe in recent days have shown a reluctance to hit bigger sectors, like Russia’s giant energy sector, for fear that it will damage European economies far more than Russia’s.
The US is pushing sanctions to “punish” Russia for backing east Ukrainian separatists, and they are expected to keep pushing for more sanctions irrespective of whether or not the current ones are implemented.
The arms sector is likely not to be significantly impacted by EU sanctions, as Russia is basically self-sufficient internally for arms, and very few of their exports actually go to EU member nations.
British Petroleum has a huge investment in Russian oil and gas projects. It is hard to believe there will be any meaningful sanctions that will damage that relationship. And the German industrial sector is dependent on Russian natural gas for 40% of its needs. So Europe is going to throw itself into a major economic calamity in order to support the Washington right wing agenda in Ukraine?
Who's a good doggie, then?
I would not be surprised to see the EU back down and tell the US, thanks, but you're on your own.
There is, of course, reluctance to impose sanctions on Russia but the shooting down of the airliner and, perhaps even more so, the rebels' obstruction of the investigation, were gamechangers. German industry, for example, the biggest "loser" in sanctions, now accepts that sanctions are inevitable and, indeed, they have had months to plan for them. And, of course, sanctions seem to be biting. The rouble and Russian shares are way down according to German TV this morning, and the Yukos shareholders have been awarded 50 billion dollars by the arbitrators. Add to that the Crimean white elephant, the destruction of the lucrative Moscow and St Petersburg tourist industries and the Sochi disaster and it will be clear that slowly but surely, the Russian economy is getting into trouble. Sooner or later, Putin will have to answer to his own people for that disaster.
Obama is Evil personified
Anything that can defuse their wrong doing around the world and guiding the tension toward Russia is the Barack Hussein Obama Neo politics. His falsified, double standard, manipulative politics around the world has caused more destructions in human life's and damage to nations social cultural and social economic then ever before, creation of caliphate, paying 5 billion dollars to Ukraine Neo fascism, Libya and creation of a new political front with Saudis the most brutal and inhuman regime on the earth is yet another of his creation. The Islamization in middle east, if not America, is yet another of his doctrine in "democracy", this man needs to be impeached and prosecuted by the American people.