Gorbachev Confident West Interested In Removal Of Sanctions On Russia

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev believes that the West is interested in dropping its sanctions policy toward Russia, since restrictions cannot change the Russian position on Crimea and do not bring any effect except for further alienating the parties and complicating dialogue

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2019) Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev believes that the West is interested in dropping its sanctions policy toward Russia, since restrictions cannot change the Russian position on Crimea and do not bring any effect except for further alienating the parties and complicating dialogue.

"By ignoring the will of the people expressed in a referendum in March 2014, Western leaders took the path of condemning Russia and imposing sanctions. But, firstly, sanctions are double-edged weapons, and secondly, they cannot affect Russia's position on this issue," Gorbachev said in his new book "What is at Stake: the Future of the Global World," obtained by Sputnik.

According to him, Russia does not call for the removal of the sanctions, "but it is in the West's interests to abandon the policy of sanctions."

"There is no effect from them, except for mutual alienation and complication of dialogue," Gorbachev said.

The former Soviet leader also expresses concerns regarding the growing militarization of world politics; points out the increasing number of populists coming to power; discusses the prospects of various political systems, the development of civil society, the future of democracy; and emphasizes the impossibility of forming a unipolar world.

Over the past several years, relations between Russia and Western countries have been strained due to the Ukrainian crisis and the reunification of Crimea with Russia. The European Union, together with the United States, introduced sanctions against Russia, to which Moscow responded with its counter-sanctions. Some EU countries have recently begun questioning the effectiveness of sanctions and started looking for different solutions to problems between Russia and the European Union.