DISINFO: Western sanctions against Russia will be in place forever
SUMMARY
There has always been a regime of sanctions against Russia and, realistically, there will always be one. The sanctions are now so ingrained in the legal systems of the US and other countries that they will be impossible to remove. Russia will not ask for the sanctions to be removed or repent for acts it did not commit.
RESPONSE
A recurrent disinformation narrative about Western sanctions against Russia, falsely portraying them as unwarranted and prejudiced.
Contrary to the claims made, there has not always been a regime of sanctions against Russia. The EU introduced a series of restrictive measures against Russia starting in 2014 as a response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Sanctions were also imposed on Russian individuals over serious human rights violations, and the use of chemical weapons in the assassination attempt of Alexei Navalny.
For an overview of sanctions imposed by the US, over Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine, malicious cyber activities and influence operations (including election interference), human rights abuses, use of a chemical weapon, weapons proliferation, illicit trade with North Korea, support to the governments of Syria and Venezuela, and use of energy exports as a coercive or political tool, see here.
The claims that Western sanctions against Russia cannot be lifted or that they have become a permanent part of the legal system of any Western state are groundless.
Sanctions can be amended, extended, lifted or waived by both the US and the EU. Both the EU and the US have emphasised repeatedly that the sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 in connection to the invasion of Ukraine can be lifted on the condition that Russia implements the Minsk Peace Agreements. Moreover, in the EU all restrictive measures are kept under constant review by the Council of the EU so as to “ensure that they continue to contribute towards achieving their stated objectives”. At any time, the Council can decide to amend, extend or suspend restrictive measures. Persons or entities affected by the restrictive measures can submit requests to the Council asking for a review of the decision to be sanctioned. They also have the possibility to challenge the restrictive measures before the General Court of the European Union in accordance with the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
A detailed overview of the restrictive measures the EU has introduced against Russia is available on the website of the Council of the EU.
Read similar cases of disinformation in the database claiming that Western sanctions are illegal and hostile actions, that the West needs a cause to sanction Russia, and if there isn't one, they will invent it, that the EU is obsessed with anti-Russian sanctions, that an aggressive Russophobic lobby within the EU is responsible for EU sanctions against Russia, and that Biden copied sanctions on Russia from his predecessors, based on ridiculous claims of interference.