Shooting itself in the foot, again: EU decides to extend some of its anti-Russian sanctions over Crimea

Sputnik
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:20 UTC

© Sputnik/ Vladimir Sergeev

The European Union has extended some of its sanctions targeting Russia in retaliation over its reunification with Crimea for one year, AP reports.

The sanctions target imports from the peninsula and investment there, among other measures.

Crimea seceded from Ukraine to rejoin Russia in March 2014 following a referendum in which over 96 percent of voters supported the move. The West labeled the vote an illegal "annexation." Moscow has stated that the referendum fully complied with international law.

Western countries, as well as Japan, have imposed sanctions targeting Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors after Crimea's reunification with Russia.

Comment: Russia has always left the door open for cooperation with Europe, but the EU has consistently gone against its own interests in order to appease the US. Considering the effect that the sanctions so far have had on the Russian economy, one could argue that the EU has gone insane.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results" - Albert Einstein