Former German Chancellor Schröder: Russia Sanctions Are a Mistake
.They're also useless and counter-productive. Was foolish to expect Russia could be coerced
“There can be no lasting peace in Europe if you are pushing Russia aside, without involving it politically or economically.”
********
The West made a mistake suggesting that economic sanctions could have altered Russia’s stance on Ukraine, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said on Wednesday.
“I consider it somewhat illusionary to think that sanctions could make Russia behave the way the West expects,” Schröder was quoted as saying by German daily Die Welt.In his speech at Regensburg University, Social Democrat Schröder, who headed a coalition with the Greens between 1998 and 2005, said:
“There can be no lasting peace in Europe if you are pushing Russia aside, without involving it politically or economically.”The European Union made “a big mistake” as it refused to cooperate “at eye level” with Moscow, Schröder said, adding that it was also a mistake to think it was possible “to force Russia to do something”.
http://russia-insider.com/en/germany_politics/2014/12/06/01-01-35pm/former_german_chancellor_russia_sanctions_are_useless
