Expert: Implementation of Sanctions Against Russia Is Wrong Strategy

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 Implementation of sanctions against Russia is a mistake, French oil and gas company Total Chief Executive, Christophe de Margerie said in his interview to Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

“We cannot let them persuade us that Russia is our enemy. Our energy supply depends on this country. If Americans, based on the historical reasons and internal political motives, want to escalate the conflict, then it is their choice. But we, Europeans, have to deal with this crisis in a different way, not painting everything in black and white only,” de Margerie said as quoted by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
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De Margerie also stated that he does not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to annex Ukraine.

Over the past few months, the United States and the European Union introduced several rounds of targeted sanctions against the Russian economy, unjustifiably blaming Moscow for meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs.  As the Ukrainian crisis escalated, the United States persuaded its allies to add Russian individuals and entities to their own blacklists.


Earlier today, US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said that US President Barack Obama and leaders of several European countries agreed that more sanctions should be imposed on Russia.
Russia has repeatedly referred to the language of sanctions “counterproductive,” saying that such measures “threaten international peace and stability.”