New US sanctions to aggravate strained Washington-Moscow relations: Commentator
Press TV has conducted an interview with Christopher Walker, a London-based political analyst, to discuss Russia’s criticism of the United States over expanding its sanctions against Moscow.
Following is a rough transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called the new sanctions futile and illegal and says that they will further damage bilateral relations. Tell us more.
Walker: I think one must agree with him that bilateral relations are bound to be damaged by this outright cranking up of sanctions, which particularly the US and the EU allies are doing against Russia.
If you remember every few months they increased the range of the sanctions, now they have included oil and gas field, which makes life more difficult for the Russians in their energy policy. And this strain is going to show, it is already showing, bad-tempered exchanges over the sighting of a NATO arms along Russia’s border. And I think it can only go further, and I have to also agree with the Kremlin’s spokesman that so far these sanctions have been absolutely useless in having an effect on Kremlin policy in Ukraine, which is very close to Moscow’s heart in a way that other territories are not. But that does not mean that the sanctions are not upsetting the way of life for many Russians, making life difficult along obtaining fresh foods, and luxuries and such like.
I do not think the travel restrictions on top officials, friendly with Mr. Putin, have had much effect. They just go somewhere else for their leisure or whatever they want to do abroad.
Press TV: What kind of response are you expecting to see from Moscow in the wake these new sanctions?
Walker: We had the verbal response today. It has been loud and full of bad bad-tempered language. I must say at present it is hard to see anything military taking place on the ground, but there must become a breaking point in relations, which is going to spread to other parts of the world and other places, where Russia and American cooperation is needed and necessary and is showing very shaky legs now.
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