The sanctions imposed on Moscow will lead to the collapse of international institutions, including the UN, Medvedev claims
FILE PHOTO: Russia’s ex-president and the Russian security council deputy head, Dmitry Medvedev. © Sputnik / Yekaterina Shtukina
The unprecedented sanctions that Western nations have imposed on Russia since the start of its military offensive in Ukraine only further erode the existing system of international institutions and the authority of the UN, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned in a Telegram post on Friday.
Initially, the word ‘sanctions’ only applied to measures imposed by the UN Security Council, he argued, adding that everything Western nations call ‘sanctions’ today is nothing but unilateral restrictions that are inadmissible under international law.
“This is nothing but infringement on the Russian Federation’s sovereign rights committed by certain nations and blocs,” he said, calling the penalties illegal. The “unprecedented scale” of the restrictions placed on Moscow will only lead to the “collapse of all international institutions and primarily the UN,” Medvedev, who is currently the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, warned.
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Further restrictions could also lead the system of international relations to “a dead end,” since relations between many nations will either be downgraded or broken, he said.
Medvedev also said the sanctions can be viewed as nothing short of aggression, since they are “aimed at disrupting a nation’s economic independence and, thus, its sovereignty.”
“In essence… it is a declaration of economic war,” he added, warning that these actions warrant self-defense measures.
“No one should doubt that Russia will use its right [to self-defense] through any means it deems necessary,” he said. Nevertheless, the sanctions will fail to achieve their stated goal of weakening Russia, according to Medvedev. He added that they are only likely to make the Russian people rally behind the nation’s leaders and to view the countries that imposed the sanctions as enemies.
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“The result will be a destroyed world order and extremely heavy consequences for the global economy,” Medvedev warned, adding that by that time, “it will be clear to everyone that the supposed effectiveness of sanctions is an absolute lie.”
The comments were made as the EU announced a new round of sanctions against Russia. Earlier on Friday, the bloc said it would impose penalties against the financial and trade sectors, as well as an embargo on Russian coal. Oil and gas exports remained unaffected. On Thursday, Russia was also suspended from the UN Human Rights Council.
