Russia and the west should stop punishing one another

By Risto Penttila

Great powers are practised at unexpected changes in policy, writes Risto Penttila

Call me Finlandised but there must be a better way than sanctions. Russia and the west are competing over who can hurt the other the most. This is no way to resolve a crisis. President Barack Obama says that sanctions are having an effect. Yes, they are. They are increasing popular support for Vladimir Putin. They are driving an ideological, political and cultural wedge between Russia and the west. While they hurt the Russian president’s close advisers, they also hurt Norwegian fishermen, Italian cheese makers, Finnish dairy companies, German technology companies and global energy companies. They drain hope from the European economy.
But are they helping the situation in eastern Ukraine? No, they are not.http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4f543b36-4f9c-11e4-908e-00144feab7de.html#axzz3FlukR0B3