When the European Union imposed temporary sanctions on Russia over the annexation of Crimea, the “temporary” was seen by most as empty. With no real chance of Russia leaving the Crimea and the EU unified in being super outraged about that, the belief was that the sanctions would keep getting extended more or less forever, in keeping with the “new Cold War” mentality.
That’s not how it’s turning out, however, as negotiations on the latest extension are facing a major backlash across Central and Eastern Europe, as several nations express opposition to keeping the sanctions in place, and some are openly talking about a rapprochement.
Western European nations don’t seem to get it, since they weren’t trading much with Russia in the first place, but the prospect of “forever” sanctions are wearing thin on many, with Austrian FM Sebastian Kurz saying he opposed any extension of sanctions longer than six months, and thought the time was nearing to start phasing them out.
Hungarian FM Peter Szjjarto also opposed plans from Western European powers to “automatically extend” the sanctions without debate, and German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier insisted the sanctions must not be an “end in themselves.”
The initial imposition of sanctions was largely seen as “supporting Ukraine,” and that argument is also wearing mighty thin, as the EU pressure for Ukraine to reform its economy isn’t amounting to much, and the sense is increasingly that the situation in breakaway East Ukraine is only continuing because Ukraine is continuing it.
And yet the sanctions will stay there until whoever runs Washington decides otherwise. It’s not like European “leaders” care for the interests of the European peoples.
Precisely. They can easily stop the nonsense but they are ted by the same neocon media, bankers and corporate idiots. People disagree and so do many businesses — but none of this counts. The pathetic appeals for change are just to quiet population a d to try to extract from Russia some economic concessions with this “we really like you — show some good will so we can behave nicely. Russia had seen ghis kind if fake “trust” nonsense ghat worked with natives of America. This time Europe is dealing with a much wiser Russia. This theater will not do.
Here is the reason why Russia will never return the Crimea to Ukraine. At the time of Suleiman the Magnificent the Black Sea was in essence an Ottoman lake. Beginning with Czar Peter the Russians began to wrest the coastlines away from the Ottoman Empire. After WW1 only the Turkish Southern shore was a remainder of the Ottoman days. At the end of WW2 the Black Sea was mostly a Soviet lake. Then NATO began to whittle away at Stalin’s conquests. The Soviet Union and later Russia were unable to stop at least the partial transformation of the Black Sea to NATO lake with Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania covering roughly 1/2 of its shorelines and its ports no longer available for the Russian navy. When the rebellion in Kiev threatened that Ukraine would join NATO Putin was backed into a corner from which he emerged fighting. The taking of the Crimea with Sevastopol was a clear-cut warning. If Ukraine threatens to join NATO we will return Ukraine to Russia too because it is in Russia’s national interest. Basta.
Of the three still active contenders for our Presidency only Mr. Trump seems to understand that a bit. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Clinton are totally clueless and are blind adepts of the mantra “Putin must give Crimea back to Ukraine”.
Unfortunately, the opinions of European foreign ministers, and of the European people don’t count. It’s Washington that European leaders have to obey. Therefore i predict the sanctions will continue until Washington changes its mind. I wish that were not the case, but right now, the US pretty much rules the world, except for Russia and China.
With Washington under the control of Israel, it is better for the Europeans to appeal to Israel.
India and Brazil are getting a little sick of the big bully too