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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTime to end sanctions against Russia, says French President.
This sounds very hopeful, especially coming as it does on the eve of renewed talks toward a peaceful conclusion of the fighting between Kiev and the Separatists of eastern Ukraine. The French President, at least, does not sound eager to ruin his country's economy in an effort to force Russia to bend to our Western demands. He joins a number of other European leaders who have already voiced like concerns about who will really suffer most from continuing our sanctions regime.
French President Francois Hollande (AFP)
Russia sanctions 'must be lifted now' - Hollande
French President Francois Hollande is wary of the impact economic crisis in Russia might have on Europe. He has called for sanctions imposed against Moscow to be lifted as soon as there’s progress in peace talks over Ukraine. “If Russia has a crisis, it is not necessarily good for Europe,” Hollande said during a two-hour interview with radio station France Inter. “I'm not for the policy of attaining goals by making things worse, I think that sanctions must stop now.” Hollande said he wanted to make sure there’s progress in peace talks over the situation in Ukraine, before putting an end to sanctions.
He said he hopes to see signs of mutual understanding at the January 15 talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. The meeting is being organized by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to be among the participants. Moscow has repeatedly said it was doing all in its power to facilitate the peace process in eastern Ukraine. A major breakthrough was achieved during September’s Minsk peace talks, brokered by Russia. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sarcastically described western sanctions, also announced in September, as “a ‘reward’ for Russia’s role in the Minsk agreements and more generally for its part in organizing the meeting.”
Another round of peace talks in Minsk took place in December. The negotiations, which brought no breakthrough in the crisis, were overshadowed by Ukrainian parliament voting to revoke the country’s “nonaligned” status, paving its way for closer ties with NATO and eventual full membership. Hollande said he understands that Kiev’s striving for NATO membership can hardly contribute to the peace process.
“Mr. Putin does not want to annex eastern Ukraine. I am sure. He told me so,” Hollande told France Inter. “What he wants is to remain influential. What Mr. Putin wants is that Ukraine does not become a member of NATO. The idea of Mr Putin is not to have an army at Russia’s borders.”
(snip)
Read more at: http://rt.com/news/219831-hollande-russia-lift-sanctions/
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Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)But you are, of course, entitled to your own opinions.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I see now.
Bad Thoughts
(2,657 posts)« Il faut parler à Poutine, je l’ai fait, mais lui parler clairement en disant ce que nous voulons et ce que nous ne voulons pas. » « Poutine ne veut pas annexer l’Est de l’Ukraine, il me l’a dit. Il veut rester influent, et ne veut pas que l’Ukraine bascule dans le camp de l’OTAN. Ce que nous voulons de Poutine, c’est qu’il respecte l’intégrité territoriale de l’Ukraine et ne soutienne plus les rebelles. »
En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2015/01/05/francois-hollande-poutine-ne-veut-pas-annexer-l-est-de-l-ukraine-il-me-l-a-dit_4549259_3210.html#SHmhcuizu2kzUTGa.99
"We must speak to Puton, which I will do, but speak to him clearly in telling him what we want and don't want. Putin has said to me that he does not want to annex eastern Ukraine. He wants to remain influentual, and does not want Ukraine to join NATO. We want Putin to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and stop supporting the rebels."
With respect to the sanctions, Hollande said that he would want to lift them " s’il y a des progrès (if there is progress)."
Please re-evaluate the trustworthiness of your sources.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)A quick google search found me several links on Hollande's comments-none of which were what RT said they were.
Bad Thoughts
(2,657 posts)He was not breaking from the "western perspective."
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)
Historic NY
(40,037 posts)like FOX news.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)But I don't speak French, so I take all translations with a grain of salt anyway.
The fact you have offered only a small quote make me wonder if the French President actually said much more, some of which led RT to offer their interpretation in the terms they did? Cherry-picking does work the same for everybody.
Bad Thoughts
(2,657 posts)RT cherry-picked.
BTW, thanks for misrepresenting me.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)If anyone "misrepresented" you, it must have been yourself. All I did in my reply was to suggest there might be a different way of understanding President Hollande's comments. No offense was meant whatsoever, not to you or to anyone else for that matter.
It's academic anyway, we will all soon know what he meant by what he does at the peace conference.
foo_bar
(4,193 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)
Hutzpa
(11,461 posts)
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)Oh wait...
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)And that is true whether it's nuclear or conventional in character.
DetlefK
(16,670 posts)I guess, Putin is having a simple problem:
First, he whipped up the ukrainian rebels to secede.
Secession doesn't come quick enough to make facts on the ground, problems ensue.
So Putin tries to scale his demands down from secession to keeping NATO away, but that doesn't work either:
- He cannot do it publicly or it will be seen as capitulation.
- He cannot negotiate with Ukraine on an open basis after demonifying them as Nazis and mass-murderers.
- He has to talk the ukrainian rebels out of secession and they don't want to stop. He cannot withdraw his support for the ukrainian rebels or they might take revenge on him and e.g. spill the beans.
Russia could end this within a week:
- End all military support for the rebels. Invite international observers.
- Ukraine keeps Eastern Ukraine but gets a federal structure for more local government to prevent discrimination of Russians.
- Ukraine stays out of NATO for 20 years.
But if Putin offers such a peace-roadmap, it might be seen as capitulation and he personally can't have that.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)One of the first things the coup government in Kiev did was to remove Russian as an official language of Ukraine, and another was to allow fascist militia to assault anyone in local public office who had opposed Yanukovich's forced removal.
Also don't forget, the central government has yet to launch an unbiased investigation into how fascists trapped more than forty pro-Russian protesters in a building in Odessa and then burned them alive or beat them to death after they jumped out windows to escape the flames. Precious little "whipping-up" is necessary after a few incidents like that.
Xithras
(16,191 posts)Many DU posters, and indeed many people on the planet, need to look up the definition of genocide. It does NOT require that people be killed (though killing people is the fastest way to accomplish it). Genocide is defined as a "coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups..." That definition was provided by Raphael Lemkin, the inventor of the word "genocide" and the person who defined it for the UN. Under international law, you can commit genocide without killing a single person.
Now look up "Ukrainianization", which was the official government policy in Ukraine since the fall of communism, and which was applied to areas that had never been traditionally Ukrainian but which had been gifted to Ukraine by the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian government banned education in minority languages, suppressed minority ethnic activities, and openly and publicly declared its goal to destroy ethnic minorities by turning them into Ukrainians. This was scaled back a bit after 2010 and there was a lot of talk about creating a "multi-ethnic Ukraine", but the one of the first things the western backed government did after taking over was repeal the language law and restart Ukrainianization efforts.
Many people in the west falsely believe that anti-Ukrainian sentiment among ethnic Russians in Ukraine was created by Russia/Putin, but it's been around for quite some time, and for very valid reasons. Putin simply threw a match into a gas filled room.
SidDithers
(44,333 posts)
Sid
pampango
(24,692 posts)in place," Mr Hollande told France Inter radio.
Mr Hollande said Russian President Vladimir Putin "doesn't want to annex eastern Ukraine - he told me that".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30679176
Hollande sounds like Bush: "I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy." http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/06/20010618.html
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Peace is worth some give-and-take from both sides in this costly and cruel civil war.
Iggo
(49,927 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)"French President Francois Hollande is wary of the impact economic crisis in Russia might have on Europe. He has called for sanctions imposed against Moscow to be lifted as soon as there’s progress in peace talks over Ukraine."
Sounds to me like he wants the sanctions lifted as soon as he can get it done.
Iggo
(49,927 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)One does what one can do.
Iggo
(49,927 posts)"I imagine that Hollande thinks it's time to end sanctions."
Because what he said and what you said he said are two different things
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I will continue to write mine.
Iggo
(49,927 posts)That's a fact, not an opinion. 
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I'm sure we will better know from what the French President does. That will be more telling than continuing to split hairs over possible intent of a comment.
Iggo
(49,927 posts)another_liberal
(8,821 posts)As is often noted, "Talk is cheap."
tradewinds
(260 posts)
'cept I would bet the dog is a better person.
edhopper
(37,370 posts)or the one from Rt are true.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I see the matter quite differently.
As the French themselves say, "Vive la difference."
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)Of course, facts have a well established anti-RT bias.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)See how that "depending on the perspective of the observer" thing works?
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)It certainly allows you to consistently validate your own biases...
edhopper
(37,370 posts)As multiple posters have shown you RT did not have an accurate translation of what he said.
I understand why you choose to be blind to other sources, you've admitted you ignore them, but the fact is he said it is up to Putin to change his policies for them to be lifted.
As a propagandist, you are doing a very poor job here on DU.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)No one has shown me anything but their own reading of what the French President meant. Pardon me if I choose to reach my own conclusions on his intent.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)He did not say what RT says he said.
RT lied.
That you refuse to acknowledge that fact says quite a bit.
edhopper
(37,370 posts)you are reaching the conclusions that Great Leader wants you to reach.
It's funny, if you had posted as much GOP propaganda instead of Russian, you would have been banned.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)As evidenced by the truth that was presented by another poster.
RT LIES, ALWAYS!
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Offered as undisputable fact, this time in all-caps-bold.
MohRokTah
(15,429 posts)tradewinds
(260 posts)Do you really think that putin's Russia reflects Democratic Values?
I am puzzled as to why you are here.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)If you are just trying to be insulting, you've come close to your goal.
BTW: My "motives for posting," are entirely my own business. You can mind your own.
tradewinds
(260 posts)
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Isn't it about time to admit it's really you chesty-Putin-pic-posters who have a thing for this character?
You aren't posting this aging beefcake for anyone like me, I can assure you of that!
tradewinds
(260 posts)Enjoy your leader. You must be so proud.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)And you can take that to the bank, my presumptuous friend.
tradewinds
(260 posts)
Smooches from the great leader.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"Isn't it about time to admit it's really you chesty-Putin-pic-posters who have a thing for this character?"
No more and no less than it's the same for those who consistently post only pro-Russian propaganda from the Russian Times (insert distinction without a difference here... maybe a link from the Russian Times)
R3druM
(50 posts)We hear the same bullshit from state owned channels here in Moscow (pretty much all Russian TV channels are state owned). Everything is fine, European leaders hate United States and will end sanctions soon, ruble collapse is actually good for economy (!), followed by daily quota of "Junta, Kiev fascists, Victoria Nuland and Western Coup".
Not surprising that Kremlin funded RT parrots the same shit.
With the shutdown of TV-2, independent channels are virtually non-existent. The only thing left is TV-Rain and Echo of Moscow, and both of those engaged in court battles. Independent journalists are being threatened and murdered. Its only a matter of time now before we're back to glorious Soviet era.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)What's the temperature in Moscow? Have they gotten the snow plowed off the streets yet? I heard that last batch really came on hard and fast!
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)With the shutdown of TV-2, independent channels are virtually non-existent. The only thing left is TV-Rain and Echo of Moscow, and both of those engaged in court battles. Independent journalists are being threatened and murdered. Its only a matter of time now before we're back to glorious Soviet era.
and you want to discuss the weather? Really?
Putin's a kleptocrat, and among the worst things to happen to Russia since Stalin. He and the new oligarchs made hay when Yeltsin helped the West and the Russian mafia to pillage the ex-Soviet Union's resources and subvert its governance after Gorbachev was deposed - the Shock Doctrine can't have a much clearer example. This is by no means a progressive development, and you're offering support for it and the Putin regime by your program of posts here.
Apart from that, Ukraine was promised treaty protection in return for reliquishing its nuclear weapons.
I've seen you claim in another DU subforum that your aim in posting these constant RT spinathons is to try to forestall the prospect of a war with Russia. You won't achieve that by regurgitating RT's spin, as the reactions you consistently get from by far the majority of people here must have shown by now.
If you're really concerned with peace, if the treaty agreement with Ukraine isn't honored, what incentive is there for other states to relinquish their nuclear weapons programs in return for similar assurances?
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Personally, I have no idea. It is certainly worthwhile to note what he says, as it is with nearly any source, but pardon me if I choose to reserve the right to decide for myself where truth may actually be found.
Remember: Don't bet the farm on anything and don't unquestioningly trust any source.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)Excuse me while I join in the LOL above. Then LOL some more.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Don't mind me. I'm just trying to find out what's really going on in the World.
tradewinds
(260 posts)
You are a good putingandist I'm sure the bear whisperer is proud.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)I'm afraid I find that a difficult explanation to swallow.
In this very thread, another DUer has found you the source article your OP was based on, with excerpts of the original French version of Hollande's remarks, which aren't difficult to decipher even with just a rudimentary command of French, and betray the spin. You've dismissed them as "an opinion."
Meanwhile, you continually defend the word of RT as if it's sacrosanct. So forgive me if I believe you're incredibly selective in this quest "to find out what's really going on in the world." There are a host of books, articles, and firsthand testimonies and other analyses out there which give a pretty clear picture of the historical developments. The fog of war may be making current events in Ukraine more difficult to make sense of, but unless you look beyond RT, your quest will be fruitless. It just adds to the noise.
Maybe LOL is the only sane response in the end.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I've already refuted or dismissed those complaints several times. I see no reason to revisit the issue of, "Who reads French good." I don't read it at all (very little at least) and quality of translation isn't the point anyway.
There is no doubt President Hollande is ready and perhaps even eager to end the sanctions against Russia as soon as possible. Case closed.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)Hollande couched his hopes in conditional terms. He wants sanctions lifted in return for concessions on Ukraine. That's how sanctions work. If Putin doen't offer those concessions, then sanctions will continue. I'd use all caps if I though that might help to penetrate your defensive carapace, but it's obviously a lost cause.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I do not see it as that simple.
This is not, lets bear in mind, play-by-play sports reporting. Diplomacy has nuances, and President Hollande made it clear how he feels in regard this crusade to expand our Empire, even if it has to be over the crushed economies of Western Europe.
Be seeing you around, Denzil.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)You may recall the dogged opposition from Thatcher and her ilk to sanctions against South Africa, for fear of her husband's, son's, and other cronies' adventures in capitalism being impeded. (There are a host of other examples.)
Did that make her right?
If diplomacy has nuances (yes, it does), that isn't reflected in your OP nor the RT article, so if that's a late realization of yours, it's to be encouraged. When it comes to sanctions, it's carrots and sticks, usually accompanied by hearty helpings of hypocrisy, feints, double dealing, covert circumvention, and squirming on one or all sides.
But in the end, Hollande's current position is evidently that Putin must make concessions over Ukraine before sanctions can be lifted. His expressed hopes are nothing more than that, and if you're looking for nuance, you could take his assertion that he's not interested in the negotiations if they're going to be a mere talking shop with no real progress as a warning that his hopes, and his patience, are not boundless. I doubt anybody's going to take a promise from Putin at face value, it's going to take concrete action for any significant changes in the sanctions regime to take place.
It's a war of nerves, and RT is desperate to push the idea of splits among the sanctioning countries. That's propaganda, as much as portraying any of the Ukraine factions as irredeemable demons en masse or trying to revive the Cold War over a horrible but currently contained border dispute.
Response to R3druM (Reply #39)
Denzil_DC This message was self-deleted by its author.
GOLGO 13
(1,681 posts)Cuz they are trading partners, yes?
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)It seems part of the contract the two countries signed requires France to pay a sizable fine to Russia if the ships are not delivered as agreed. If I remember correctly, it's a penalty of several billions over what Russia has already paid.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)...yet we allow another source that pushes the same birth certificate/Operation American Spring nonsense and fascist apologia.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I really don't like taking news from state run media. Especially right wing extremist state run media. Its only real worth is to gain understanding of what type of propaganda said country wants to disburse to the rest of the world. Anyone have text of the whole statement that isn't a part of right wing propaganda?
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)My question directly relates to the op and would clarify the whole thing. As this is your op, and it truth is clearly under question, the onus is on you to add the full text of what the President said. That in itself is a pretty basic concept. Seems this is a complete lie. Great thing about du is when something is brought here from a right wing establishment the truth normally comes out. Seems only one person is backing the right wing state run outlets agenda. Yet they are completely unwilling to post the whole text of what the propaganda piece is attempting to show. Very interesting technique on a democratic message board. Every question can be cleared up with very limited effort on the ops part.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)Here's a grab-bag of coverage from a variety of sources (some nominally RW, but what the hey). Bold is mine (I have an agenda, too, I'm just prepared to admit it).
Backing President Vladimir V. Putin into a corner will not work, he said, giving a high-level voice to what is seen as mounting sanctions fatigue among European politicians, as the Ukraine crisis lurches into a second year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/world/europe/francois-hollande-says-destabilizing-sanctions-on-russia-must-stop-now.html?_r=0
He did not specify which sanctions - imposed by the EU, US and Canada - could be lifted. The sanctions began after Russia annexed Crimea in March.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30679176
Saying the sanctions 'must stop now', Francois Hollande said he was expecting progress on a resolution to the Ukraine crisis at international talks in Kazakhstan in 10 days.
The crisis in Ukraine has prevented cash-strapped France from completing the delivery of two Mistral-class warships to Russia, a deal left in limbo since accusations Russia has interfered in Ukraine's civil war.
Ukraine's Western-backed leader Petro Poroshenko is to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin at a meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana in ten days, which will also be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mr Hollande said: 'I am going to Astana on January 15 on one condition, that there be fresh progress. And I think there will be. If it is to meet and talk without making headway, it is not worth it.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2897281/Francois-Hollande-suggests-sanctions-Russia-lifted-says-Putin-does-not-want-annex-eastern-Ukraine-told-that.html
"I think the sanctions must stop now. They must be lifted if there is progress. If there is no progress the sanctions will remain," he said during a wide-ranging two-hour interview with France Inter radio station.
http://news.yahoo.com/hollande-russia-sanctions-end-ukraine-progress-002449981.html
http://www.dw.de/hollande-russia-sanctions-should-be-lifted-now-if-progress/a-18170733
http://itar-tass.com/en/world/770356
"I think it is necessary to stop the sanctions. They should be cancelled once there is progress. If there is no progress, the sanctions will remain," Hollande was cited as saying by Agence France-Presse.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/hollande-calls-for-end-to-russia-sanctions-once-progress-made-in-ukraine/514059.html
"I think the sanctions must stop now. They must be lifted if there is progress. If there is no progress the sanctions will remain," Hollande said in an interview on Monday.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hollande-calls-lifting-russia-sanctions-if-there-progress-ukraine-1481925
To portray this as Hollande seeking an unconditional end to the targeted sanctions regime would be shameless spin. I don't see much clarification of what form of, or how much, "progress" would be considered acceptable by Hollande, who's obviously not unaware of the complications around the warship deal, among other domestic considerations. Hollande's statement's unexceptional - the very nature of a sanctions regime is that the carrot of their easing is dangled while progress is sought on points of contention - and echoes Merkel, who also has a vested interest in seeing some of the sanctions lifted.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)It was an amazing place because it was full of insight and information like you just posted. Thank you very much. In the past a post like yours would have been almost immediate. Once again, thank you. I have read your post and will read the links at lunch. You are the first person to have brought real information with respect to the op.
All outlets have an agenda. I agree. I just question those who constantly go to right wing, state run media, to promote their agenda on a democratic discussion board. I still wanted more than just "you lie." That is never good enough and it is blatantly clear that the op has no interest in the truth of what the French President said. What you provided here is what should have been done by the op. Should be an op of its own.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)« Il faut parler à Poutine, je l’ai fait, mais lui parler clairement en disant ce que nous voulons et ce que nous ne voulons pas. » « Poutine ne veut pas annexer l’Est de l’Ukraine, il me l’a dit. Il veut rester influent, et ne veut pas que l’Ukraine bascule dans le camp de l’OTAN. Ce que nous voulons de Poutine, c’est qu’il respecte l’intégrité territoriale de l’Ukraine et ne soutienne plus les rebelles. »
En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2015/01/05/francois-hollande-poutine-ne-veut-pas-annexer-l-est-de-l-ukraine-il-me-l-a-dit_4549259_3210.html#SHmhcuizu2kzUTGa.99
"We must speak to Puton, which I will do, but speak to him clearly in telling him what we want and don't want. Putin has said to me that he does not want to annex eastern Ukraine. He wants to remain influentual, and does not want Ukraine to join NATO. We want Putin to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and stop supporting the rebels."
With respect to the sanctions, Hollande said that he would want to lift them " s’il y a des progrès (if there is progress)."
Please re-evaluate the trustworthiness of your sources.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I certainly did not.
It is clear, however, that he does want a prompt end to the sanctions against Russia, and who can blame him for that?
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)As for unconditionality, you weren't happy with RT's hed, which read "Russia sanctions 'must be lifted now' - Hollande," and chose to frame it as "Time to end sanctions against Russia, says French President." Those who've bothered to interact with you have had to belabor the point that Hollande set certain conditions on their ending, against dogged resistance from you to accepting that point.
Bad Thoughts
(2,657 posts)Hollande clearly says:
Ce que nous voulons de Poutine, c’est qu’il respecte l’intégrité territoriale de l’Ukraine et ne soutienne plus les rebelles.
The conditions are that he respects Ukraine and stops supporting the rebels. These seem unequivocable.
Denzil_DC
(9,100 posts)well, as clear as diplomatic language released for public consumption ever is. Thanks for chasing up something closer to the original.
bluesbassman
(20,384 posts)Was he looking into Putin's eyes when he was told that? Or is he just taking Shrub's word for Putin's integrity?
Bad Thoughts
(2,657 posts)If you look above,you'll see the quote in French and my translation.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)I assume the French President had a reason for making that claim. It does sound like he is convinced in his own mind.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)which wont benefit any of us
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)One thinks it should be fairly obvious to anyone. We aren't, after all, talking about trying to tank the North Korean economy. Russia was a member of the G8, until we forced their expulsion last Spring.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)To remain with the rich kids
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)The "Rich kids" had better rethink their economic warfare tactics.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)But Russia will be far less fine. This is not a hypothetical, it is a description of what is happening right now
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)However, what is going to happen tomorrow will have more impact on us. The ripple effect of economic sanctions against a major World trade power like Russia is likely to be worse for the West, and the U.S. specifically.
Don't take my word for it, just wait and you will see.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)Will be fine
Historic NY
(40,037 posts)The crisis in Ukraine has prevented cash-strapped France from completing the delivery of two "Mistral-class" warships to Russia, which has been in limbo since hostilities broke out in eastern Ukraine.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/russia-sanctions-should-be-lifted-if-progress-on-ukraine-115010500339_1.html
Thats what it is about money.
another_liberal
(8,821 posts)Yes, quite right.