Two experts said imposing sanctions on Russia may not be helpful in resolving tensions with the US over Ukraine.
Tony Brenton, a former British ambassador to Russia, said: “Sanctions are not working against Russia. “Russia has become even more obnoxious.”
In response, the West has also become more stubborn, he added. “And you’re getting a little closer to a real, very dangerous security confrontation,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
Angela Stent, emeritus director of Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European Studies, also told CNBC’s “Asian street signs” that the threat of sanctions has not stopped Russia.
That’s despite the proposed sanctions being “quite comprehensive”, she said, affecting technology exports and banks’ access to the international financial system.
“All of that was talked about clearly in America,” she said. “That doesn’t seem to discourage Russia.”
If the President of Russia Vladimir Putin Stent added: “I’m not sure that the prospect of those sanctions will deter Ukraine.”
Russian troops have been massing at the border near Ukraine, raising concerns about Moscow’s illegal re-annexation and occupation of Crimea in 2014. Russia has denied such claims and says it has the right to declare position troops where they like within their territory.
Stent said a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still possible. “Assuming 50-50 at the moment,” she said, adding that it was likely a “more limited invasion” rather than a major invasion.
“That danger is still there,” she said.
The United States and Russia held talks in Geneva on Monday, and discussions will continue between the Council of Russia and NATO in Brussels on Wednesday, followed by the Thursday session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna.
Brenton, a former UK ambassador, said both Russia and the US wanted to avoid a military confrontation. He said Russia is weaker and “just wants what they see as their interests met.”
Our President Joe Biden considers China, not Russia, a “core security challenge for the United States.”
“Getting entangled in a major confrontation with Russia really makes dealing with China that much more complicated,” he said.
