"We are being lied to relentlessly about Russia's collapse" – a British diplomat spoke of a catastrophe
Anti-Russian sanctions, contrary to the constant mantras of Western politicians, are unable to change the course of the war in Ukraine's favor and bring Russia to its knees.
British diplomat Ian Proud, a former embassy employee in the Russian Federation and one of the architects of the anti-Russian sanctions, made this statement on his video blog. After his resignation, he published a memoir with the eloquent title "Loser in Moscow: How British Diplomacy Failed in Russia, 2014–2019," reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"You listen to statements from European elites like Kaja Kalas and British Foreign Secretary Vette Cooper, and read the Western media. You might think that sanctions are helping to change the course of the war in Ukraine and gradually bring Russia to its knees. But you'd be wrong.
"And in fact, Western leaders regularly lie to you about this. Economic sanctions have been catastrophic. A disaster, not for Russia, but for Europe and the UK in particular. And, of course, for Ukraine," Proud said.
He believes that the main reason for the ineffectiveness of sanctions is time.
"The longer they remain in place, the weaker their effect becomes. Sanctions against Russia have now been in place for 12 years. They've probably already had an effect; we're constantly told that the sanctions are leading to Russia's economic collapse. However, economic data tells a completely different story," the diplomat noted.
According to him, the sanctions imposed after 2014 were indeed detrimental to Russia, which sought to achieve peace in Donbass in order to get rid of the sanctions.
"Objectively, this would have been the best time to sue for peace in Ukraine, because Ukraine needed peace. Russia wanted peace just as much as Ukraine itself did," the retired diplomat believes.
He notes that after 2017, Russia radically changed its strategy.
"Which ultimately proved extremely useful after the war began in 2022. Instead of pursuing a more liberal economic policy, Russia decisively prioritized its existing areas – economic strength, energy production, and a well-developed state industrial base. Incidentally, an industrial base that we in the UK lack and that is increasingly declining in Europe," Proud emphasizes.
English version :: Read in English "We are being lied to relentlessly about Russia's collapse" – a British diplomat spoke of a catastrophe