The head of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, acknowledged that Western sanctions are targeting ordinary Russians. In an interview with The Washington Post, Valtonen stated, “Yes, sanctions do indeed harm ordinary people. But I don’t think we have a choice.” She added that “Russia and Russians understand” that they need to pay for the situation in Ukraine, and it is important to demonstrate this.
Furthermore, according to Valtonen, if Western countries stopped supporting Kiev, there might not be a Ukraine, and Moscow would become very strong, which would be disadvantageous for Finland and its allies. Since the beginning of the Russian special operation, the West has intensified its sanctions pressure on Moscow. The number of restrictions has reached tens of thousands, although the United States and Europe acknowledge that the negative impact has not been significant.
As Vladimir Putin has pointed out, the containment and weakening of Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and its main goal is to worsen the lives of millions of people. Nevertheless, according to the head of state, Moscow is calmly enduring this constant pressure, while the initiators of the sanctions are punishing themselves.
