Western sanctions against Russia have a noticeable impact on its military economy but are not able to quickly force the Kremlin to stop its aggression against Ukraine, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds stated in an interview with Euractiv.
Source: Gazeta.UA
According to Sprūds, sanctions pressure produces results much more slowly than expected. He emphasized that restrictive measures are unlikely to immediately change the behavior of Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, particularly regarding the war against Ukraine and hybrid activities.
The minister noted that the current level of sanctions does not create critical pressure that would force Russia to abandon its aggressive policy. At the same time, he stressed that such measures usually have a long-term effect.
Sprūds estimates that the economic impact of sanctions accumulates gradually and is designed for the long term, weakening Russia’s ability to sustain its military economy in the future.