Diplomat: EU sanctions against Russia are working

European External Action Service Deputy Secretary General Matti Maasikas defended the EU's sanctions policy on Tuesday and said the bloc's most important tasks at present are supporting Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia.
Maasikas was interviewed on Tuesday's "Esimene stuudio" and spoke about geopolitics, U.S. relations with Europe and Ukraine.
The Estonian official said the European Union has not been sidelined as a spectator in global politics.
"Europe is staying the course. We are doing what needs to be done on our continent: supporting Ukraine and putting pressure on Russia," Maasikas said. "The EU is like a heavily loaded wagon that is difficult to get moving, but once it gets going, it moves steadily along its course," he told the show.
The EU imposes new sanctions on Russia every month, and they are working, Maasikas said.
"Since the start of Donald Trump's second administration, they [Washington] have viewed the EU almost entirely through an economic prism. They have not particularly wanted to coordinate foreign policy with the EU," Maasikas said.
The U.S. attack on Iran posed a serious dilemma for Washington's NATO allies. "There were certainly tensions at first. By now, those have subsided," he said.
The Russians' instinct in geopolitics is to talk to the Americans and make some sort of agreement with them. "But that has not worked," Maasikas noted. At the same time, Russians see the U.S. as their main adversary, he added.
An effective fight against corruption is underway in Ukraine, Maasikas said. "This fight has moved to a completely different level. Andriy Yermak, once Volodymyr Zelenskyy's right-hand man, came under suspicion," he said.
Maasikas does not plan to run for president of Estonia.
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Editor: Helen Wright









