🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sinterview with RT(Moscow, February 5, 2026)
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Key talking points:
#Europe#EU#Germany
• Over the past 45 days, many European politicians have addressed relations with the Russian Federation. Until recently, they were united in demanding firmness, not scaling back support or weapons supplies to Ukraine, and financing it to make sure Russia suffers a “strategic defeat” on the battlefield.
• Recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a comment describing Russia as the largest country in Europe. I must correct this immediately. Russia is the largest country in Eurasia – and in the world.
• The Americans have never wanted, and still do not want, to leave the Europeans to their own devices. Their goal is for Europeans to finance all their own military preparations by buying US weaponry, while the US naturally retains control and the role of ‘guardian’ over its NATO allies.
• As Euro-Atlantic structures have weakened (the EU having become a mere appendage of NATO, a status even formalised in documents) Germany’s rising profile has caused alarm, not only in our country but in many EU capitals. There is growing resentment and a palpable desire to prevent Germany from subjugating all others once more, especially as Germany’s being “back on track,” proclaimed by Friedrich Merz and his government, is openly linked to the country’s rapid militarisation and preparations for war.
• We do maintain contacts with some European leaders. They call and ask us not to publicise the conversations. Some engage in ‘undercover’ contacts here.
• I see no coherent position from Europe. They are trapped by their own rhetoric, locked into an uncompromising stance: ‘Russia’s strategic defeat,’ ‘Ukraine cannot lose, and Russia cannot win, otherwise Europe loses face.’
#NATO
• We have indeed been “burned” by our trust in those who swore that NATO would not expand eastwards, that Russia would not be marginalised, and that we would forge a common space from Lisbon to Vladivostok – a vast continent of peace and security.
• NATO first lost its reason for existence, then found renewed purpose in Afghanistan. When that purpose was publicly, shamelessly trampled before the eyes of the international community, action was needed. So, they regrouped, convened, and contrived the situation we witness today – declaring Russia a “pariah” and identifying Ukraine as the “optimal material” with which to provoke us, a pliable entity to be shaped as they saw fit.
#Ukraine
• This is nonsense and a quite telling one. What do I mean? For the past year, the West (Europe) has been saying the same thing over and over: there must be solid guarantees of security and an immediate ceasefire. But without addressing issues pertaining to settlement, these security guarantees will implicate that the ceasefire will be exploited to funnel more arms into Ukraine. They did not hear this reasoning; neither did they respond in any way.
• What kind of Ukraine we are willing to see as a neighbour for the long, even eternal term? It must be a friendly Ukraine. Not necessarily an ally, but a neutral and benign state. This, of course, implies respect not only for the rights of the people in the territory that will remain part of Ukraine, not only respect for their rights to access basic necessities, such as warmth, food, and water, but also respect for their, if you will, fundamental human rights, including language, education, and religion.
• That man [Zelensky] is devoid of shame or conscience, who thinks of nothing but his own survival. For that, he feels compelled to perform some scripted ‘sketches’ on the international stage, which he actually treats as a theatre.
• In Anchorage, we accepted the Trump administration’s proposal concerning Ukraine. If everything was as straightforward and decisive as presented, then it would imply that Ukraine had been set aside from our bright path towards future cooperation and prosperity.
💢 L'Union européenne pourrait adopter un 21e paquet de #sanctions d'ici à la fin du mandat de l'actuel président du Conseil de l'UE.
🔴Toutefois, un tel scénario n'est pas garanti en raison de la nécessité de parvenir à un accord sur ce paquet de sanctions et de la complexité des négociations, a déclaré Tomas Zdechovsky, député européen.
RT en français • Osez questionner !
💢 L'Union européenne pourrait adopter un 21e paquet de #sanctions d'ici à la fin du mandat de l'actuel président du Conseil de l'UE.
🔴Toutefois, un tel scénario n'est pas garanti en raison de la nécessité de parvenir à un accord sur ce paquet de sanctions et de la complexité des négociations, a déclaré Tomas Zdechovsky, député européen.
RT en français • Osez questionner !
США расширили санкции.
В частности санкции были наложены и в отношении более 90 физических и юридических лиц из России, Беларуси, Британских Виргинских островов, Болгарии, Казахстана, Кыргызстана, КНР, Сербии, ЮАР, Турции, ОАЭ и других стран.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2404
#sanctions
Насколько санкции (экономически) эффективны?
Чтобы понять, насколько экономические санкции помогают или не помогают достичь целей, которые есть у вводящих их стран, требуется проанализировать широкую литературу по вопросу. Новая статья мета-анализа (2021) пробует проверить, правда ли опубликованные статьи демонстрируют статистически значимый эффект от санкций.
Исследуются статьи с 1985 по 2018 годы, и три основных переменных влияния - торговые связи (trade linkage), длина санкций (sanction duration) и предшествующие отношения стран (prior relations). Предварительный анализ демонстрирует, что вроде бы значимое влияние есть, но проблемой оказывается то, что статьи страдают от так называемого "публикационного смещения" (publication bias). Именно, результаты статей, которые дошли до журналов, оказываются сдвинутыми в сторону гипотезы о значимом влиянии, а это означает, что "природный эффект" скорее около нуля, чем положительный.
То есть - вероятно, что экономические санкции могут оказаться неэффективными для целей, которые ставят перед собой страны, их вводящие.
#Sanctions
Зачастую ранее принимались отказы при рассмотрении таких вопросов.
https://www.rbc.ru/economics/06/09/2023/64f85ca69a79476f474467af?ysclid=lm8oener7535290388
#sanctions
Hungary lifts its veto, loan formally approved for Ukraine and 20th sanction package against russia.
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@WorldNews#Ukraine#Russia#Sanctions
Russia faked economic data to appear more resilient to its war and sanctions, intel report says
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@WorldNews#Russia#Sanctions#Geopolitics
🖊OPINION | US Imperialism Enters a New Stage: The Left Needs to Take a Close Look at It
Steve Ellner takes stock of a new stage of US imperialism and the role of the Left in challenging its advance.
The column states that US foreign policy has placed Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba in a “de facto state of war,” marked by sanctions, military measures, and enforcement actions. It cites the January 3, 2026 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, alongside expanded US monitoring and interdiction of oil shipments.
At the same time, it argues that the Left must reassess its analysis, give greater weight to resistance against US aggression, and frame its criticism of governments within the context of sustained external pressure.
Read the full opinion piece here 👉🏽https://venezuelanalysis.com/opinion/us-imperialism-enters-a-new-stage-the-left-needs-to-take-a-close-look-at-it/
#Sanctions#USVenezuelaRelations
📸 IN IMAGES | Venezuela Begins ‘National Pilgrimage’ to Demand End to Sanctions
Venezuelan authorities have launched a nationwide “Great National Pilgrimage” to demand an end to US-led sanctions, beginning April 19 and spanning all 24 states. The initiative includes marches, assemblies, and cultural activities, with a final event scheduled in Caracas on April 30.
Government officials, including Delcy Rodríguez and Jorge Rodríguez, led opening mobilizations, while sectors of the moderate opposition also expressed support. According to the report, US sanctions (first intensified in 2017) have targeted key industries such as oil, contributing to an estimated $25 billion in annual revenue losses and limiting Venezuela’s access to international financial markets
Click here to explore the full gallery 👉🏽https://shorturl.at/DZmpu
#Sanctions#USVenezuelaRelations