Title: Sanctions on Russia: Effectiveness and Impacts – EuropeNow
Headings: Sanctions on Russia: Effectiveness and Impacts
Sanctions on Russia: Effectiveness and Impacts
Effectiveness of the sanctions
Conclusions and recommendations
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Tensions within the EU are growing every year between supporters and opponents of sanctions. Some politicians argue that Putin’s purposes extend far beyond the borders of Ukraine, while others believe that Putin will be satisfied if he wins control over Ukraine alone, thereby consolidating control over the ex-USSR area. In the wake of the sanctions regime, some EU member states, including Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, France, Hungary, and Italy, have said either publicly or privately that they are interested in having sanctions lifted as soon as possible. While the US insists on tougher sanctions and will supply arms to Ukraine, France and Germany have both expressed skepticism that American weapons will help in resolving the conflict. Additionally, the US is opposed to Nord Stream 2 and will impose sanctions against Russian companies. However, those sanctions have undermined solidarity within the EU. The active lobbying of Nord Stream 2 by Germany, Austria, France, and others have allowed the Kremlin to expand its export capacity to the EU and circumvent the Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine – giving Moscow a stronger hand in its Eastern European policy. Russia is also doing its best to create a split between the US and the EU (and within NATO) by generating the idea that Washington is deliberately fueling the crisis in Ukraine and dragging Europe into it, thereby damaging EU member states. Despite sanctions and certain restrictions on Russian oil and gas industries, Moscow still remains the main supplier of hydrocarbons to Europe and seeks to play this card accordingly. Moreover, Putin’s team and Russian propaganda work intensively on the formation of so-called lobbying of energy interests among European officials.