In his latest missive on X, Ukraine’s President has launched a sideswipe at many Western approaches at diplomacy. He clearly knows what he wants.
He thinks we need to learn more about sanctions. The point is they stop more than just one person. It stops all the activity that goes into a war.
“Sanctions are powerful, when enforced. If loopholes are closed, missile components, including for ballistic systems, simply won’t reach Russia. Sanctions aren’t just about money. They’re about stopping the flow of deadly technology, the parts that enable Russia to produce these horrific weapons at scale.”
It won’t, however. In fact Russia’s military is complex. It cannot simply be shutdown. He’s right to say it flows, but Russia does it better than just that.
The aim of sanctions is to impose geopolitical limits. This still leaves the Ukraine front open. It’ll take more than stops in supply chains to win.
