Former Prime Minister of the Federal State of Brandenburg, head of the German-Russian Forum, Matthias Platzeck criticized the sanctions against Russia and considered them ineffective. He spoke about this on the air of the radio station Deutschlandfunk.
According to Platzeck, the introduction of restrictive measures can satisfy Europe only in the short term. “Are we sure we want to make the situation even more tense? The sanctions of the past six years have not improved anything, but worsened almost everything,” the politician stressed.
Platzeck added that progress in relations between the EU and Russia can only be achieved through dialogue “on equal terms.” He called on European countries to remember that this is not a small country, but a “huge nuclear power”.
At the end of January, the politician predicted “complete loneliness” for Europe without Russia. He called for starting work on a joint “security architecture” with Moscow on an equal footing.