Russia Slams EU, Japan Over Sanctions , Plans Retaliation

April 30th, 2014

David Schulberg

Russian officials issued statements today criticizing both Japan and the European Union for new rounds of sanctions following on the US sanctions, dubbing Japan’s move a “clumsy and counterproductive” step, and saying the EU should be “ashamed of itself” for follow US orders.

In both cases officials warned the move showed a “complete lack of understanding” of the situation in Ukraine, and suggested the moves encouraged neo-Nazis in the Ukraine to continue attacks against eastern protesters.

Though both the EU and Japan sanctions seem fairly minimal, there is concern that they could lead to a bigger sanctions war, as unlike the US, Europe actually trades enough with Russia that such a sanctions war, while crippling to Europe’s economy, would also be devastating to Russia.

Regarding the US sanctions, Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov expressed concern for the impact the move would have on technology sharing, and experts warn the move will likely have a deleterious impact on space exploration, preventing the two nations from sharing information on space technology.