War in Ukraine: giving in on sanctions would be falling into Putin's trap, warns Kiev
Eva Deschamps / July 19, 2022
Ukrainian diplomatic chief Dmytro Kouleba on Monday called on his EU counterparts not to give in to Vladimir Putin on sanctions against Russia, as backing down and bowing to his demands will not work, it is a trap.
Putin's real goal is the impoverishment of Europe. He wants to turn public opinion against the governments in place, in the hope of replacing them with radical forces that would be more favorable to Russia, he warned in an address to his counterparts gathered in Brussels.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had criticized Friday the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia. He had denounced a mistake, saying that these sanctions had not achieved their goal and asphyxiated the European economy.
Putin's plan is not only to destroy my country, but to plunge the whole of Europe into crisis. You can already see how he is using Europe's slightest dependence on Russia to achieve his goals, the Ukrainian minister said.
If Russia senses weakness now, the consequences will be much worse than what we see now, he explained. I am sure that in the coming weeks, other voices close to the Kremlin will urge public opinion to give Putin what he wants so that he leaves Europe alone, he added.
In Brussels, European ministers pleaded on Monday to continue to support Ukraine economically, politically and with military means. They discussed new sanctions measures presented Friday by the European Commission, including an embargo on gold purchases from Russia.