Germany disappointed with weak impact of Russia sanctions

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed disappointment that Western sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine were not having an “economic impact.”

The United States and the European Union have levied unprecedented sanctions against Moscow to limit Russia’s ability to finance its war effort.

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But while the pressure has told, the Russian economy has not collapsed under the weight of sanctions as was predicted in some quarters.

“Economic sanctions should have an economic impact. But that is not the case,” Baerbock told journalist Stephen Lamby in an interview for his new book “Emergency” published Thursday.

“We have learnt that with rational decisions, rational measures, agreed between civilized governments, it is not possible to end this war,” Baerbock said in the interview carried out on July 10.

“The logic of democracy does not work in autocracies,” she said for the book, which examines the response of the German government to the conflict in Ukraine.

In June, the European Union agreed another round of sanctions, aimed at closing the loopholes exploited by Russia to evade sanctions.

With the move, the EU sought to crack down on the re-exportation via third countries to Russia of sensitive technology that can be used on the battlefield, such as microchips.

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