© Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File
"The total losses of the European Union — these are the most conservative estimates — from the imposed sanctions and decisions made in economic areas to curtail cooperation with Russia amount to approximately $1.5 trillion," Grushko told on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum. In 2013, the volume of EU trade with Russia was $417 billion, in the absence of sanctions this year, it could have been $700 billion, but in 2022, it was $200 billion, the diplomat said, adding that in the first half of 2023, trade was $47 billion, and will be less than $100 billion by the end of the year.
"Next year, [the trade] will be $50 billion, and then will tend to zero," Grushko said.
Comment: Not only has the West lost its proxy war in Ukraine, but its economic warfare, intended to destroy the Russian economy has also backfired; and the West's fire-starting in the Middle East is likely only going to accelerate its demise, and life for the people of Europe will only get increasingly worse: