Germany is in favour of tough Russia sanctions, despite cost
German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel yesterday said that tough economic sanctions against Russia were necessary despite them likely to hurt his country’s economy.
The EU imposed sanctions on Russia’s banking, defence and energy sectors because its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Despite extensive trade ties with Russia, Chancellor Angela Merkel is a firm advocate of the tougher sanctions after Malaysian Airline MH17 was downed by over Ukraine.
“What would happen if the EU didn’t react?” Gabriel, who is also Germany’s economy minister and head of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), told the ZDF TV channel.
“If all the lessons learned in Europe are that someone can start a civil war in a neighbouring country and nothing happens, then it would cost a lot more than a few percentage points of possible growth.”