Poroshenko, Biden discuss Crimea-related sanctions

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Nov. 16 on the future of maintaining sanctions against Russians and Ukrainians until occupied Crimea is returned to the Ukrainian state, the president’s press-service reported. They also discussed coordinating efforts to ensure Russia fulfills its Minsk Accords obligations, supporting reforms in Ukraine and cooperation between Ukraine and the U.S. on issues of regional security that have emerged as a result of the presidential elections.

U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Nov. 18 to discuss extending and possibly widening sanctions against Russia for its ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory and bombardment of Syria, the Reuters news agency reported on Nov. 16, citing anonymous sources. The current EU sanctions conclude in January 2017. “There is concern that Trump might move in the opposite direction after his inauguration on Jan. 20,” the report said. “European leaders will therefore be seeking clarity from Obama, who met Trump last week and said afterwards the president-elect would maintain core relationships around the world, including with NATO.”

Zenon Zawada: It’s good to see that both Western and Ukrainian leaders are aware of the possibility of Crimean-related sanctions being removed and are making preparations. Some of the safeguards to maintaining sanctions are already apparent, such as the U.S. Senate approving legislation that will keep in place the sanctions that were imposed by presidential resolutions.

Nonetheless, there’s only so much can be done to stem the tide of nationalism sweeping the West. And if these trends continue, momentum will certainly grow for removing sanctions against Russia, which could start to occur in the second half of 2017.

Moreover, U.S. President elect Donald Trump indicated he will consider acting to remove sanctions against Russia, possibly in exchange for military cooperation against radical Islam. Indeed it looks somewhat foolish at this point to expand sanctions related to the Syria bombings since Trump is likely to switch U.S. foreign policy towards backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.