EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep BorrellANTALYA, Mar 13EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell said that it is impossible for sanctions against Russia to have an immediate effect. operation in Ukraine on 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. But the occupation of Ukraine is out of the question, the Russian president stressed. In response, the United States, the EU countries and a number of other states, including Japan, introduced new sanctions against Russia and major Russian organizations.
Hellish, but not eternal: who will be the first to break because of Western sanctions As the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said earlier, the Western sanctions are very serious, Russia was preparing for them in advance. He added that they require analysis and coordination of departments in order to develop response measures that meet the interests of the Russian Federation. Dmitry Birichevsky, director of the Department of Economic Cooperation of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti that Moscow's reaction to Western sanctions would be prompt and sensitive, work on response measures is ongoing all directions. He noted that in the face of increased restrictions, the Russian side is reducing the use of the dollar in foreign exchange reserves and external settlements, switching to non-Western capital markets, and also making efforts to protect investment projects from external negative influence. The diplomat stressed that Moscow regrets that the European Union unleashed a «total economic war» against Russia. At the same time, Birichevsky noted, EU sanctions cause enormous damage to the citizens of the Union itself and the reasons for their introduction are difficult to justify logically. The Russian Foreign Ministry later added that the lists of retaliatory personal sanctions against the West were ready. 2022/03/4f5ff5710a5f9efcbfe484ddbe6cc74e.jpg» />»The choice is smaller, but it's there.» How Russia will replace Western alcohol
