Evgeniy Kogan: Will all sanctions be lifted from Russia?

Plot

Russia under sanctions

Trump’s victory in the US presidential election is being compared online to the “return of the Jedi” after the retaliatory strike from the “Joe Biden Empire.”

Stock markets are euphoric, businessmen led by Elon Musk are entering politics. And although not everyone is happy about Trump 2.0 (some are even ready to leave the country for 4 years), his arrival means one thing: an era of change. The question is – in which direction?

While the European Commission is preparing the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, and the candidate for the post of head of EU foreign policy speaks out about introducing permanent sanctions against the Russian Federation and seizing the assets of the Bank of Russia, let us remember what Trump did in his first term.

In his first term, Trump intensified his sanctions rhetoric against Russia. In particular, he introduced sanctions against the Nord Stream gas pipeline and for the first time approved the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine.

So far, we have only heard from Trump promises to end all conflicts in the world as quickly as possible. At the same time, the question of weakening the “sanctions rhetoric” is raised only by political experts and Trump’s associates speaking “on their own behalf.” Russian businessmen, who are not inspired by the upcoming changes, are not expecting any relaxation either.

Who benefits from sanctions?

Russia and Europe are suffering the most from sanctions. Obvious benefits here are received by the regions that help one way or another to bypass restrictions and become the main economic partners of Russia (Middle East, CIS, Asia, China, etc.), as well as the United States, which happily replaces energy resources from Russia.

Conclusion: You shouldn’t expect a resolution to the situation and the lifting of all sanctions at the click of the US President.

Although this time Trump has “carte blanche” in the form of a Republican Senate, which means it will be easier to realize his wishes. But we should not forget the rules by which American politics play: where there is business, there is nothing personal.

Evgeniy Koganeconomist, author of the Telegram channel this bit