NEWSWATCH: “The sanctions on Russia are working, Mr. President: Don’t lift them prematurely” – The Hill/Alexander Vershbow

Alexander Vershbow file photo

“… I have seen many U.S. presidents seek to engage … Russia. While it has never been easy, it was possible to find areas of common ground that increased the security of both sides — as long as the U.S. set clear objectives and stuck with them. … The sanctions are working. … Russia is interested in having sanctions removed. Well-coordinated with our European partners and compounded by the decline of global oil prices, the sanctions have had a biting impact …. our forceful response also constrained the #Kremlin’s actions in #Ukraine and helped stop further #aggression. And the effects of sanctions will only increase …. With presidential elections in Russia looming … Putin will need to show better economic conditions * * * …. the inauguration of a new U.S. president is an opportunity to put Putin to the test. If it were to lift sanctions without a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine … #Trump would essentially send a green light to Moscow and other countries that it is content with Russia solidifying its sphere of influence in parts of Europe, or powerless to prevent it. America itself would thus start to undo the post-World War II international order it has helped to build and protect. …”

Click here for: “The sanctions on Russia are working, Mr. President: Don’t lift them prematurely” – The Hill/Alexander Vershbow

[featured image is file photo]

Comment