Sanctions against Russia “work,” says Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy, and cites the reduction in trade between the Russian Federation and the European Union as an example.
“Compared to 2021, 58% of total EU imports from Russia were reduced back in 2022, which is unprecedented,” Borrell wrote on his blog in an article entitled “Yes, sanctions against Russia work,” Kommersant quoted. He added that exports fell by 54%. At the same time, non-energy imports fell by almost 60%, with the largest reduction affecting iron and steel, precious metals and wood. In the first quarter of 2023, the reduction in non-energy imports exceeded 75%, in the energy sector the figure fell by 80%, the head of Eurodiplomacy added.
“Some people argue that these sanctions do not work. It’s just not true,” Borrell wrote.
He also doubted that other countries could compensate Russia for lost EU products. He also urged Brussels to “act more decisively against the circumvention of European sanctions”, promising to work with third countries on this issue.
Earlier, Hungarian politicians announced the “failure” of the policy of sanctions against the Russian Federation. They noted that everyone laughs at European restrictions.
Source: Rosbalt
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