Russia sanctions have ‘completely backfired' – ex-EU commissioner
'Objective data shows that the sanctions policy primarily harmed its originators, especially Germany,' he noted, warning that the attempt to 'ruin' Russia is a 'life-threatening idea.' The EU has not acknowledged this outcome, he added. Moscow has condemned the sanctions as illegal, arguing they have inflated EU energy prices and forced reliance on costlier imports, undermining the bloc's competitiveness. Germany, which prior to the Ukraine conflict sourced 55% of its energy from Russia, remains mired in a two-year recession. Some European officials have conceded that the EU's sanctions on Russia have inflicted greater damage on European businesses than on their Russian counterparts, industry leaders say. Ferdinando Pellazzo, head of the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce, warned that the measures have severely impacted small and medium-sized enterprises. Siegfried Russwurm, president of Germany's BDI industry association, cautioned that the country faces growing deindustrialization risks as high energy costs – driven by the cutoff of cheap Russian supplies – squeeze competitiveness.
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Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
EU state could block Russian citizens from politics
Lithuania's conservatives have proposed banning Russian passport holders from serving as founders, members or donors of political parties. The bill, drafted by the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TSLKD), the country's largest opposition party, would also require political parties to disclose members with multiple citizenships. The authors argue that nationals from Russia, Belarus and China, which are designated as 'hostile states' by the Lithuanian government, pose a security threat. 'Citizens of hostile states, particularly those connected to Russian oligarchs, may exert influence through political parties,' said bill co-author Dalia Asanaviciute, according to LRT. She claimed that 'Russia allocates significant resources to interfere in democratic and political processes globally, with a focus on our region.' According to LRT, the bill was prompted by a report stating that Alvydas Brusokas, co-founder and donor of the Dawn of Nemunas party, holds dual Lithuanian-Russian citizenship. For centuries, Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire, and between 1940 and 1991, it was a republic within the Soviet Union. Ethnic Russians make up around 5% of the country's population of 2.89 million. Around 14,500 Russian citizens have residency permits in Lithuania, some of whom left Russia for political reasons. As one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, Lithuania has been at the forefront of demanding tougher sanctions on Moscow. Earlier this year, the country passed a law allowing the revocation of residency for people who frequently travel to Russia or Belarus 'without objective reasons.' Conservatives also called for an amendment allowing the stripping of Lithuanian citizenship for supporting Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Moscow has described Lithuania's attempts to portray Russia as a threat as 'incitement of Russophobia.'
Russia Today
8 hours ago
- Russia Today
Türkiye's mediation isn't about peace. It's about power.
The third round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul, lasted less than an hour – barely enough time to suggest progress. While both delegations arrived with talking points, their positions remained fundamentally irreconcilable. The Ukrainian side once again emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, the release of captives, and a potential meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin – ideas that, from Moscow's perspective, lacked a concrete framework. The Russian delegation, meanwhile, proposed a structured dialogue across three tracks – military, political, and humanitarian – and floated the possibility of localized ceasefires for evacuation efforts. But without mutual ground on core issues, even humanitarian coordination remained out of reach. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted after the meeting, the sides are still 'far apart' on the basic memorandums required to facilitate direct talks between the leaders: 'Given the volume of work that lies ahead to align our positions… it is hard to imagine how we could suddenly overcome this gap.' While the Istanbul talks yielded no breakthroughs, Ankara framed them as a meaningful step forward. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the meeting as 'another brick' in building a foundation for peace and reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to mediation. But behind this diplomatic language lies a broader ambition. President Erdogan sees Türkiye not merely as a neutral host but as a regional power uniquely positioned to engage both Moscow and Kiev. Unlike European intermediaries tied to NATO orthodoxy, Ankara has preserved open communication channels with both sides – and intends to leverage that position. This ambition gained new momentum after a direct request from US President Donald Trump. In May, during a phone call with Erdogan, Trump reportedly asked him to resume Türkiye's role as a key mediator in the Ukraine conflict. According to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Erdogan responded positively – a natural decision, given Ankara's longstanding desire to shape the postwar diplomatic framework. A second conversation in June further underscored this alignment. In addition to addressing escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Trump and Erdogan reportedly reaffirmed Türkiye's mediating role in Ukraine. For Ankara, this signaled renewed political legitimacy – and a green light to reassert itself on the international stage. Erdoğan remains one of the few world leaders to maintain autonomous and working relationships with both Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky. Unlike most Western leaders, he engages each directly and pragmatically – without outsourcing diplomacy to blocs or bureaucracies. This rare access grants Türkiye a unique status in the global mediation landscape and strengthens Ankara's hand in any future settlement. For Türkiye, mediating the Ukraine conflict is about far more than diplomacy – it is a calculated move to expand its strategic footprint in the Black Sea and Danube regions. Ankara's interests in southern Ukraine, particularly the coastal areas of Bessarabia and the Danube estuaries, are long-standing and rooted in history. These zones are vital arteries for trade, transit, and geopolitical access. Control over maritime supply routes, especially those passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, has been a cornerstone of Turkish foreign policy for decades. Amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, these routes have acquired even greater importance – linking grain exports, energy flows, and military logistics across multiple theaters. Türkiye's participation in the negotiation process is therefore not just a diplomatic gesture but a matter of national interest. To remain outside the process would mean allowing other powers to redraw the regional map without Ankara at the table. At the same time, Türkiye's posture remains deliberately ambiguous. Officially, Ankara supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and has not objected to its NATO aspirations. Yet President Erdoğan continues to cultivate open lines of communication with Moscow. This dual-track strategy allows Türkiye to project loyalty to the West while reminding Russia – and Washington – that it cannot be excluded from any future settlement. This approach is not without cost. Ankara's refusal to take part in Western sanctions against Russia has drawn criticism from Europe, particularly Berlin, Paris, and Brussels. However, Erdoğan appears to be shifting focus from multilateral alignment to pragmatic bilateralism. With the Trump administration treating Türkiye as a key partner in stabilizing Eurasia, Ankara has little incentive to follow the EU's lead – or to subordinate its strategic agenda to European bureaucracy. For Ankara, the outcome of the third round of talks was less about immediate results and more about preserving its relevance. By publicly assessing the meeting as a positive step, Türkiye signaled that it intends to remain not just a host – but an architect – of whatever post-conflict order may emerge. Both Hakan Fidan and President Erdoğan have repeatedly stated their willingness to resume hosting direct negotiations. In February, during talks in Ankara with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Fidan reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to mediation and emphasized that Türkiye remains available as a venue for continued dialogue. This ongoing diplomatic contact reflects Moscow's recognition of Ankara's pragmatic stance – despite Türkiye being a NATO member state. The failure of the West to enforce the original grain deal, and Russia's subsequent withdrawal from it, initially weakened Türkiye's position as a neutral intermediary. But Trump's return to the White House has shifted the equation. Backed by Washington, Ankara now has the political capital to relaunch its mediating role under new geopolitical conditions. In this context, Türkiye's 'positive evaluation' of the talks takes on deeper meaning. It's not about what was achieved – but about who gets to stay in the room when the time finally comes for real negotiations. So far, no alternative platform has emerged. And in the long game of regional influence, presence is power.
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Russia Today
‘Unprecedented' Ukrainian drone attack leaves man dead
A Ukrainian attack on Russia's Leningrad Region has killed one civilian and injured three others, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko has said in a series of posts on Telegram. He said Kiev's forces employed over 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the strike. The raid was launched in the early hours on Sunday, Drozdenko said. It was mostly repelled by the local air defense forces. Some UAVs fell on residential buildings, causing fires, the governor said, adding that one man died. Three people, including a woman and two youths, also sustained light injuries. The governor called the strike on Sunday 'an unprecedented attack.' A total of 51 drones were shot down, he said. Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that nearly 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted in Russian airspace overnight. Kiev has been launching increasingly large-scale drone raids targeting various Russian regions despite renewed diplomatic contacts with Moscow. The latest attacks came after a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul earlier this week. No ceasefire was reached, but the two sides made progress on humanitarian issues, including agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war and civilians. Ukraine has been conducting UAV raids deep into Russia for months, often hitting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government labels Ukraine's strikes as 'terrorist attacks' that intentionally target civilians. Last week, residential buildings in the city of Voronezh were hit in two such attacks in less than three days. The strikes left nearly three dozen people injured, including three children. On Thursday, two women were killed and more than a dozen people injured in a drone strike on the southern resort city of Sochi. The UAVs targeted a sprawling resort zone that includes parts of the former Olympic Park and now serves as a popular tourist destination. On Friday, a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger train in the Russia's southern Krasnodar Region.
