This might be the first admission in western media that the sanctions are having a blowback effect:
No doubt, Russia is feeling the impact of sanctions, but so is the west. Indeed, one reason for the over-egging of claims that the Russian economy is close to collapse is that western policymakers know their own voters are suffering from the collateral damage: dearer energy, rising food prices and falling living standards.
That is no surprise, and most people are understanding and accepting that we’ll have it slightly less easier day, to help push the Russian bully back out of Ukraine.
Removing Russian sanctions would maybe give a slight better day for Europeans in the short term (IMO the ‘damage’ is already done, and we’re already moving away from Russia for our needs) but disastrous in the long term.
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