According to senior researcher at Hudson University, USSR, and Russian affairs analyst David Setter it would be good for the Russians to understand that further aggression will be costly for them
1976-1982 Financial Times newspaper correspondent in Moscow, 1982 The Wall Street Journal expert on USSR affairs, currently a senior researcher at Hudson University, USSR and Russian affairs analyst, David Setter is sure that if Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine, the Russian-American relations will get worse.
In an interview with “Aravot”, the USSR and Russia analyst noted that sanctions against Russia are mainly aimed at ending Russia’s aggressive policy.
It should be reminded that on August 2 US President Donald Trump signed a law envisaging additional sanctions against Russia. Both chambers of the US Congress had previously supported that bill. The news in the law is that it deprives the president of cancelling sanctions against Russia without Congress’s permission.
President Trump had announced: “I am for tough measures to punish and prevent aggressive and destabilizing behaviour of Iran, North Korea and Russia”.
In response to our question whether these unprecedented sanctions will undermine the Putin administration, Mr Setter said, “The sanctions might not undermine Putin’s administration, but they will be an answer to the aggression of the Russian regime toward Ukraine, and also toward the Western countries which are trying to conduct democratic actions. The sanctions themselves maybe won’t undermine the regime, but they will contribute to psychology in Russia that takes into account that people can react and that they cannot just commit acts of aggression without any kind of consequences”. Analyst warned that the situation may have serious consequences if Russia does not stand back from its current policy.
We reminded that some experts are sure that the more Russian-American relations will be aggravated, the more explosive the South Caucasus will become, and the likelihood of political clashes will increase. Mr Setter stressed: “The fact is that, Russia and the US are in conflict not so much over the situation in the South Caucasus, but rather over the situation between Russia and the Ukraine”.
We stated that sanctions refer not only to energy but also the RF corrupt governance and subjects, who control the state-owned companies, and who are mostly Putin’s relatives. All state propaganda means, cybercrime, Moscow’s intelligence activities are also subject to sanctions in separate points. Then we mentioned that it is an unprecedented systemic blow to all the pillars of the Putin administration, hence what further developments are to be expected, whether this will this be a lesson for Putin, Mr. Setter answered that he did not think that there would be serious changes in the Russian-American relations, but it would be better for the Russians to understand that future aggression will be costly for them. Mr. Setter confirmed that sanctions are hitting especially those individuals that have a major contribution to the development of Russian economy, and maybe in this context Russia will have to limit the extent of aggression against Ukraine, if not, to stop it.
As to the question, whether Russia will recall its diplomatic representatives, Mr Setter said, that rather, “they will be thrown out” for inefficient work.
We were interested in Europe’s position on this issue, as American gas is a few times more expensive for Europe than Russian gas. The analyst reminded that the Europeans themselves also imposed sanctions on Russia, although the scale of sanctions from the United States is much more. However, the fact is that Europe can no longer perform a review of the scale.
The analyst stressed once again: “If Russia does not put an end to aggression against Ukraine, this will end bad”.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
