MOSCOW, August 1. The US strategic goal is to weaken Russia and the European Union through the Ukrainian conflict and sanctions against Moscow, said former US military intelligence officer Scott Ritter in an interview with Sputnik.
“America uses sanctions to achieve a broader strategic goal, not only weakening Russia, but also weakening Europe, so that the United States would emerge from this (Ukrainian — editor's note) conflict stronger,» the expert said.
As Ritter noted, restrictive measures did not have the desired effect on the Russian economy . On the contrary, Moscow has strengthened significantly, while sanctions have had a negative impact on European countries, he concluded.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly pointed out Western plans to defeat Russia, dismember it and plunder it. According to him, they did not need such a large country with a fairly large population. The head of state emphasized that “they will never be able to do this.”