The Russian economy can withstand another year of war, so it is necessary to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation, expanding them to fertilizers and liquefied natural gas.
This was stated by the Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo at the Ukrainian Breakfast in Davos, organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
Belgian Prime Minister on the need to strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation
— In this 16th package, I believe, gas and LNG should play a very, very important role. I think that we should also consider fertilizers. We see that fertilizer exports from Russia have actually increased compared to the situation before the war, — said De Croo.
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At the same time, he added that it is a long way to go to achieve the goals with the help of sanctions. According to him, the Russian economy can hold out under these conditions for at least a year.
— The Russian economy is weakened, but our analysis shows that the Russian economy can withstand the war for at least another year. And in everything we see, it is quite obvious that Putin has ambitions to regroup and then make another attempt, perhaps not against Ukraine, but against another country. Therefore, we must support these sanctions, — the Belgian Prime Minister emphasized.
In addition, he noted that credible sanctions are the basis for maintaining peace and protecting against threats from Russia.
— Therefore, my analysis is that we are going for long-term sanctions and that we should not change the topic of discussion, — summed up Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Let us add that US President Donald Trump's team is developing a large-scale sanctions plan to facilitate a diplomatic agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the coming months.
Belgian Prime Minister on strengthening Ukraine before negotiations with Russia
Alexander De Croo noted that Russia needs to be weakened before any peace talks. But Ukraine, according to the Belgian Prime Minister, on the contrary, needs to be strengthened.
— I'm sure we can go to peace talks, but frankly, shouldn't we first strengthen Ukraine before we start peace talks? Based on what I'm hearing right now, it sounds like peace talks are just around the corner. Seriously? I don't think so. I think we need to strengthen Ukraine first, and then we'll see, — De Croo said.
