Western countries have grown increasingly disillusioned with the impact of sanctions on Russia, according to the Washington Post editorial board. The piece on Saturday echoed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who questioned the effectiveness of the restrictions.
The West has imposed an unprecedented number of sanctions aimed at crippling the Russian economy since February 2022, when the Ukraine conflict escalated. Moscow has consistently affirmed that the measures have failed to destabilize its economy or isolate it from the global financial system. The Kremlin says the sanctions have backfired on the very states that implemented them.
“The inability of Western sanctions to cripple Russia’s economy has been one of the most persistent frustrations” of the conflict, the editorial states, noting that the country’s GDP grew by over 4% last year and is projected to slow, but continue expanding in 2025.
Moscow has managed to withstand the pressure by redirecting trade from Western partners to Asian markets, with China and India emerging as its principal customers, according to The Washington Post.
Last week, Trump acknowledged that new US sanctions on Russia may ultimately prove ineffective but confirmed that his administration would proceed with imposing them unless a deal to end the Ukraine conflict is reached soon.
The pledge came shortly after the president reduced the original 50-day window for Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace settlement to just ten days, warning that failure to do so would trigger sweeping penalties, including 100% tariffs and secondary sanctions targeting Russia’s trade partners.
The president has announced that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow midweek as part of a diplomatic push to broker a ceasefire. At the same time, Trump again conceded that the Russian authorities “are pretty good at avoiding sanctions.”
Moscow considers the sanctions illegal, claiming they violate international trade rules and harm global economic stability. The Kremlin also views the Ukraine conflict as a Western-orchestrated proxy war, and argues that continued arms shipments to Kiev only serve to prolong hostilities.
Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed Trump’s threat of new restrictions, explaining that Russia has developed “immunity” after years of enduring the measures.
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