US seeking to ‘conquer’ Russia with sanctions: Economist

The United States is using the crisis in Ukraine to justify imposing economic sanctions on Russia in order to “conquer” the country, a political economist says.

“These sanctions are not about Ukraine; Ukraine is just an invented reason for this,” Jon Hellevig told Press TV on Wednesday.

“What the USA wants is to subjugate Russia, to conquer Russia so that it would one more vassal country for the USA,” Hellevig explained.

“Notwithstanding what are the developments in Ukraine, the USA wants to push for more sanctions,” he added.

The United States and the European Union have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia, including visa bans and asset freezes.

Ties between Washington and Moscow deteriorated last year after pro-Western forces ousted Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.

The US and its allies accuse Moscow of sending troops into eastern Ukraine in support of the pro-Russian forces. Moscow, however, denies any involvement.

On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told a news conference in Brussels that the US and its European allies had set up the most “sophisticated” network of financial sanctions ever designed against Moscow, which was having “maximum impact” on the Russian economy.

In spite of these economic penalties, the Russian economy is still “vibrant” and “seems to be growing,” Hellevig noted.

“Although the USA wish’s to say that Russia is being isolated, it’s not the case,” he added. “Russia is growing its trade with the biggest economy in the world, China, with the other big countries.”

AHT/AGB

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