The Prime Minister of Bavaria and the head of the Christian Social Union in Germany, Markus Soeder, appreciated the draft sanctions prepared by the United States against Russia in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. In his opinion, the likely disconnection of Russia from the SWIFT system and the abandonment of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would have a negative impact on Germany. Zeder spoke about this in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. TASS.
Constant threats and increasingly severe sanctions against Russia cannot be the solution, Zeder said. In particular, this is due to the fact that the sanctions, according to the Prime Minister of Bavaria, have long been ineffective.
“These new sanctions often hurt us too. For example, disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT system. The refusal of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline or the general cessation of all gas supplies from the Russian Federation would also affect our country, ”the politician said. Zeder believed that the West should maintain a dialogue with Russia.
The prime minister stressed that NATO has obligations to protect its members, but, according to Zeder, they do not apply to Ukraine. “But this does not apply to Ukraine, this is not the case for NATO. It is necessary to determine a strategy that will take this into account and at the same time protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia is a difficult partner, but not an enemy of Europe, most Germans want stable and peaceful relations with the Russian Federation, ”the politician said.
The fact that the US Congress presented a bill on new sanctions against Russia in the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine became known on January 12. Congressmen thought about a ban on operations with Russia’s primary and secondary public debt. In addition, they proposed imposing sanctions against the Russian banking sector and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Also, if the situation escalates, the US may demand that Russia be disconnected from the SWIFT international payment system.
#Germany #assessed #sanctions #Russia