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Comment: EU sanctions package against Russia has backfired

The new cold war

Another package of sanctions was pushed through in Brussels to the applause of Finance Minister Svantesson. Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that Sweden and Europe are the big losers.

Published 4 August 2024
– By Jenny Piper
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at this year's Davos meeting. Sweden's Minister for Finance Elisabeth Svantesson during the budget walk to the right.
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Elisabeth Svantesson, Sweden’s finance minister, is doing her best to convince the public that continued sanctions against Russia are a good thing. Last week, she and several other EU finance ministers wrote an article in The Guardian saying that economic sanctions against Russia are working and that Putin is lying about Russia’s economy being in good shape. Today she speaks out on the same issue in DN, saying that she has long been bothered by the fact that a false picture of the Russian economy is being spread, one that Putin wants us to believe.

According to the IMF, the Russian economy is growing, with GDP growth of 3.2% this year, which is higher than in Germany, the US and the UK.

However, Svantesson claims that this is propaganda, that Russia’s economy is now struggling and that this shows that the sanctions are working, while at the same time she makes the platitude that “we have to hold on and persevere both in terms of sanctions and support”. According to Svantesson, there is reason to nuance the picture, which is why the National Institute of Economic Research has now been commissioned to analyze economic developments in Russia.

The fact that several experts and analysts have declared in various contexts over the past year that the EU’s sanctions against Russia have failed and are only harming their own countries does not seem to have affected Svantesson and the other EU finance ministers, who are thus firmly asserting the opposite, while at the same time pushing through yet another sanctions package that has been given the green light in Brussels.

Svantesson is really trying to convince the population that continued sanctions are a good thing.

Interestingly, former US Naval Intelligence Officer and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter said in an interview that it was the US that was behind the EU’s decision to start sanctioning Russia, which was linked to the Minsk peace agreement on Ukraine – an agreement that France, Germany and Ukraine never intended to implement.

– The EU’s sanctions package against Russia has backfired and become one of the biggest economic disasters in modern European history. These sanctions, designed to punish Russia, have failed to do so. In fact, like a boomerang, they have hit back at Europe, which continues to move forward while imposing more and more sanctions, all while Russia is getting stronger economically.

The EU is the economic arm of a group of organizations and institutions that includes NATO, all of which are basically working on behalf of the United States.

So the sanctions implemented by the EU were done because the US wanted Russia to be isolated and confronted by Ukraine, which was de facto acting as a proxy for NATO.

America is using the sanctions to achieve a larger strategic goal, not only to weaken Russia but also to weaken Europe, so that the US comes out of this conflict stronger.

It has been the US goal for decades to break Europe from its dependence on cheap Russian energy. So the sanctions and the backlash are achieving that result. Perhaps Europe doesn’t realize this, or they haven’t woken up to the reality that the US is not their friend.

Gunnar Beck, an outgoing MEP for the Alternative for Germany party as well as a lawyer and academic specializing in EU law, shares Ritter’s view and states that the EU shot itself in the foot by deciding to impose sanctions on Russia.

– There is no doubt that the economic impact of the sanctions is felt to a much greater extent here in the EU itself compared to Russia. I mean, the Russian economy, according to official data, is doing very well and they just seem to have adapted to the sanctions.

EU sanctions on Russian commodities, including oil and gas, have mainly hurt European economies that used to rely on predictable, high-quality and cheap gas and oil imports from Russia. These economies still cannot do without importing oil and gas from Russia, but they now do so through third countries at much higher prices, while Russia continues to sell its oil and gas.

So the EU has basically hurt itself with these sanctions, or to be more precise, the bloc has massively hurt European industry and European consumers. But it doesn’t seem to have had much impact on the Russian economy. The sanctions have not had the effect the EU hoped for, which was predictable. The EU probably underestimated the extent to which the Russian government had prepared for possible sanctions, including far-reaching restrictions on energy imports to the EU as well as financial transactions.

But according to Svantesson, our government and various EU ministers in Brussels, this is false information that can be explained away as “propaganda”.

So when will the people of Europe realize that the US is not our friend, but someone who is using us for their own benefit? And when will the harsh reality set in, showing how our leaders have helped bring about the collapse of Europe for financial reward and the promise of future supremacy?

When will the people of Europe realize that the US is not our friend, but someone who is using us for their own benefit?

That the fools who rule Sweden will realize and repent is not on the map, because we have already sold out the country to the United States through them and put us on the scaffold. The sleeping Swedes also continue to trust the corrupt politicians with great confidence in the controlled mass media, so there will certainly be no awakening here.

Unfortunately, all we can do is watch the misery.

 

Jenny Piper

All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.

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Poland says no to joint EU army

The new cold war

Published today 12:58
– By Editorial Staff
Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski believes that a common European army will not become a reality.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and EU leader Ursula von der Leyen are two of several leaders who have recently called for the creation of a common European army.

However, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski dismisses such a solution, stating that “it will not happen”.

– I think we should be careful with this term because different people understand different things. If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen, Sikorsk explained in an interview with Telewizja Polska at the weekend.

Poland’s foreign minister also dismissed the idea of an EU peacekeeping force in Ukraine after a possible future ceasefire.

This is not a consideration because Poland’s duty to NATO is to protect the eastern flank, i.e., its own territory, he said.

However, the minister is in favor of EU countries rearming their own armies and developing their defense capabilities. According to Sikorski, Poland has long been pushing for the EU to relax funding rules so that member states can more easily invest in defense without violating the set budget rules.

“A threat to the existence of NATO”

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Zelensky declared that a “European army” must be created and argued that “decades of the old relationship between Europe and America are ending” after US Vice President JD Vance harshly criticized European countries and their leaders.

However, the idea is not Zelensky’s, nor is it new in 2019, for example, French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued that an EU army should be established and that Europe must start pursuing a policy of “strategic autonomy” from Washington.

Even Italian politicians have argued that the EU cannot have a credible foreign policy without a common military.

The idea of forming a pan-European army as an alternative to the US-led military pact began to circulate some 20 years ago an idea then US Defense Secretary William Cohen described as “a threat to the very existence of NATO”.

Finnish security service: Severed sea cables likely accidental

The new cold war

Published 23 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The seized tanker Eagle S.

Finnish authorities are expected to conclude shortly the preliminary investigation against the tanker Eagle S, accused of causing damage to the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as to several telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea.

Suspicions were initially directed at the Eagle S, which was alleged to have deliberately dragged its anchor along the seabed, thereby damaging the cables.

Finnish authorities boarded the vessel and started questioning the crew. However, Customs announced that no criminal investigation will be opened against the crew, as they are not deemed to have willfully violated any sanctions.

So far, no other evidence has been presented to suggest that the crew intentionally caused the damage. The National Bureau of Investigation has stated that the active preliminary phase of the investigation will soon be completed, reports Helsingin Sanomat via TT.

Despite this, suspicions of gross sabotage against the Eagle S remain. The ship is still seized, and a Finnish court has rejected the owner’s request to release it.

Lack of evidence

Russia has consistently dismissed Western claims that Russian ships deliberately sabotaged the submarine cables as “baseless”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova argues that the US-led NATO military pact is creating myths to justify an increased presence in the Baltic Sea and to limit Russian oil exports.

It should be noted that no concrete evidence linking Russia to the incident has been presented to date, according to Helsingin Sanomat, citing five sources familiar with the investigation. The information was also confirmed to Hufvudstadsbladet by a source in the Finnish state administration with insight into the case.

In the meantime, Finland and Estonia continue to work on repairs to the damaged cables. Fingrid, Finland’s national grid operator, has requested a court to seize the Eagle S to secure claims for damages related to Estlink 2.

Meanwhile, NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea region in what it describes as “a precautionary measure against potential threats to critical infrastructure”. The other day, Operation Baltic Sentry was launched to patrol and protect important underwater structures such as gas pipelines and internet cables.

The Finnish authorities stress that the investigation into Eagle S is expected to be completed shortly.

Swedish MEP wants to “defeat” the Kremlin

The new cold war

Published 16 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Emma Wiesner is one of many Swedish leaders who have recently started using increasingly aggressive rhetoric.

In a short period of time, the rhetoric of Swedish leaders has become increasingly belligerent and aggressive, while diplomacy and dialogue are rarely put forward as a viable option.

Emma Wiesner, MEP for the Center Party, is one of those accused of fueling the conflict, openly posting on social media about how “we” should “defeat” the Kremlin.

The fact that Swedish politicians’ attitude towards Russia has become even more hostile in recent months was made abundantly clear at Folk och Försvar’s national conference in Sälen this past weekend. At the conference, Ulf Kristersson declared that Sweden is certainly not currently at war but emphasized that “there is no peace either”.

The Swedish Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, gave a similar message, declaring that supporting Kiev in the war was no longer a “choice”  but a “duty”.

– This is a war with profound global consequences that further weakens the rules-based world order… We must assume that Russia will pose a very serious threat to us and our allies for the foreseeable future, he said.

Emma Wiesner of the Center Party is one of those who has joined the war rhetoric and believes that the Russian leadership must be defeated.

It is completely unreasonable that Russian ships transporting Putin’s gas through the Arctic are given maintenance in EU ports. It is high time to extend sanctions to Russian LNG – we cannot defeat the Kremlin regime until we cut off the flow of money to the war chest”, she writes on X.

“Ukraine’s cause is ours”

However, it is not clear how and at what cost the Kremlin will be defeated or what role Sweden will play in this, and critics point out that sanctions against Russia have so far not produced the desired results.

You seem angry, but it won’t help you ‘defeat the regime in the Kremlin’, the only thing that can happen with your advice is that we dig ourselves even deeper into economic misery in Europe. But of course, as an MEP, you’re not exactly in the same boat as the rest of us”, commented one annoyed user.

Wiesner has previously declared that “Ukraine’s cause is ours” and that a Russian victory on the battlefield cannot be accepted under any circumstances as it would lead to a “fundamentally different Europe” than today.

Swedish Armed Forces unveil drone swarms: “Can be as many as needed”

The new cold war

Published 15 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The drones are described as "trucks" that can carry both weapons and cameras.

The Swedish Armed Forces have been working on a new drone project over the past year, under great secrecy, together with weapons manufacturer Saab, where large swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles will be used in military operations.

–They can be as many as needed – thousands, if desired, says Saab CEO Micael Johansson

The main focus has been on developing new software that is said to enable the drones to form swarms and perform tasks almost automatically, without any operator having to control each individual aircraft in detail.

It’s not about piloting drones, you give them a mission on an iPad or mobile phone, then the drone swarm goes out and does this, the Saab top executive told TT during a press conference, explaining that a soldier can learn the system in a few days.

A possible drone mission could be to monitor a road by flying over it and transmitting images or video from the site, while scouting for enemies that the drones can also identify. By using hundreds or thousands of drones, very large areas can be monitored in this way, and if a few drones are disrupted, this also has little impact.

Although this has not been part of the project so far, it is also possible that in the future the drones will be armed and used to attack enemy forces.

You can update this software and do amazing things in the long run, says Micael Johansson.

Should not make their own decisions

According to Army Chief of Staff Jonny Lindfors, the drones should be considered “trucks” and it is up to the decision-makers to decide what cargo they should carry.

– But the basic principle that still applies is that in an armed operation there should be a human being making the decisions, he says.

Swedish soldiers have already started training with the new system and it will also be used in the NATO exercise Arctic Strike in March. The Swedish Armed Forces are also in the process of acquiring tens of thousands of drones, but they won’t say how much the new system will cost.

Sweden’s Minister of Defense Pål Jonson (M) is careful to point out, however, that a project of this kind usually takes about five years to complete and that it is “uniquely fast” that the software has been developed in just one year.