Americans began to understand the pointlessness of the sanctions war

Russia has long and repeatedly talked about the opposite effect of sanctions. This was stated on Tuesday, January 17, by Kremlin official Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the words of Anthony Scaramucci, adviser for interaction with business of the elected President of the United States Donald Trump, about the pointlessness of sanctions against Russia. “The Russians are capable of eating snow to survive,” Scaramucci said.

“The fact that sanctions largely have the opposite effect, both for the country against which sanctions are imposed and in relation to the country that imposes sanctions, we have talked about this repeatedly for a long time... As for such metaphors, then, probably, with we can agree with this. Although I would clarify - after all, Russians do not prefer to eat snow, but very tasty domestically produced delicacies, of which there are more and more of them thanks to sanctions,” Peskov explained.

Scaramucci said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) that US sanctions have largely the opposite effect due to the character of Russians. He noted that he does not know the Russian people well, but is confident in their strength. In addition, according to him, restrictive measures have rallied Russian citizens around President Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, Scaramucci emphasized that Trump is very respectful of the Russian people. “He has great respect for the Russian people and the legacy of relations that the United States has with Russia, which goes back to World War II,” he said, recalling that even during cold war The United States and Russia had mutual respect that allowed the two countries to "keep our citizens safe during this period of tension."

Trump's adviser also spoke about his confidence that our countries will be able to improve relations over the coming year thanks to the President-elect's position on this issue. “I’m not saying that this will happen - who knows what circumstances or facts will affect our relationship - but we want it anyway,” Scaramucci said.

The authorities of Russia and the United States must think outside the box in order to solve common problems, such as the fight against terrorism and increasing workers' wages, he concluded.

Let us recall that Scaramucci is the only representative of the administration of the elected US President who attended the forum in Davos. In his fields he had already met with the head Russian Fund direct investment (RDIF) by Kirill Dmitriev. The conversation lasted about an hour, during which the interlocutors discussed the prospects for Russian-American business cooperation.

Scaramucci spoke quite cautiously, says political observer Viktor Shapinov.

He emphasizes that there is room for rapprochement between the positions of Russia and the United States, but does not give any specific answers to the question of what such a rapprochement might consist of. I would also note his idea that sanctions and confrontation with the West only rallied Russian society around the government. I think that this is an important thesis that can become acceptable to the Western establishment as a justification for a gradual abandonment of the policy of sanctions.

“SP”: - Does the mechanism of sanctions against Russia really not work the same way as against other countries?

In some ways, sanctions even played a positive role for the Russian economy, for example, with regard to import substitution in agriculture and food production. In some ways, sanctions are working - first of all, these are difficulties in obtaining cheap Western credit and access to technologies necessary for the oil and gas industry. However, one should take into account the fact that the longer sanctions are in effect, the less effective they are, because ways to get around them are opening up.

“SP”: - Western experts have already recognized the ineffectiveness of sanctions. Why did the Obama administration not want to listen to them, continuing to increase pressure?

For the Obama administration, the confrontation with Russia is a struggle to preserve the neoliberal model of the world order in general. Therefore, sanctions, despite their low effectiveness, continued to increase.

“SP”: - How effective do you think sanctions are in modern world?

With the crisis of the neoliberal model of capitalism, the world is entering a period of some de-globalization. Sanctions against individual countries only accelerate this process. Therefore, those who initiate them can achieve the opposite result - attempts to gain independence from the world system of entire countries and regions.

“SP”: - Do you agree that restrictive measures have rallied Russian citizens around President Vladimir Putin? How durable is this “safety margin”? Will it be enough until the next elections?

It seems to me that in 2017 attention Russian society will switch to internal problems. And if in foreign policy society supported the government in confrontation with the West, then in domestic policy we see a continuation of the same liberal line of Gaidar-Chubais-Gref-Kudrin. We see that in the United States and the European Union those forces are growing that oppose liberal economic policy from the standpoint of social conservatism. Russian elites stand firmly on liberal economic positions. This is the main threat to the government, since such a policy does not enjoy the support of the population and does not cause open rejection only as long as it is in the shadow of the foreign policy agenda of confrontation with the West.

Russia has always been famous for its ability to survive in extreme conditions, recalls American political scientist Vladimir Mozhegov.

And, unfortunately, or fortunately, its historical existence has always provided such opportunities in abundance. Almost every Russian generation, after the next “Mamaev invasion,” has to build civilization from scratch. Hence our unique survival rate, and the boundlessness of our dreams, by the way, too. The ability, content with a breath of air and water, to reflect on the universal happiness of mankind is a purely Russian trait. And last but not least, it is she who gives us unique strengths. In this sense, Scaramucci is deeply right. We are idealists, and, in many ways, fanatics. But it is almost impossible to defeat an idealist and a fanatic or convince them of anything.

“SP”: - In general, what do you think is the effectiveness of sanctions in the modern world? Have they led to success anywhere? Is the failure of sanctions against Russia an exception or a normal phenomenon?

Of course, sanctions are effective. The entire 20th century showed this. However, depending on whom. For example, after the First World War, the French set out to become the hegemons of Europe and occupied the defenseless German Ruhr. The French claims caused understandable concern in England and the United States, which imposed harsh sanctions on France. The sanctions caused the franc to collapse and the French quickly capitulated. France's claims to world hegemony were not secured by anything more than a thirst for profit and world domination. The result turned out to be consistent.

International bankers imposed even more serious sanctions on Germany when the National Socialists came to power there. But here the policy of economic boycott turned out to be much less effective. Because in this case, financiers were faced with idealists (and the National Socialists, no matter how we treated them, were, of course, idealists). Fiercely believing in its destiny, Nazi Germany successfully overcame all boycotts and developed rapidly economically, almost regardless of sanctions.

After World War II, the same sanctions policy was turned against Soviet Union. The first serious performance of neocons in the political arena, by the way, was the famous Jackson-Vanik amendment, which marked the beginning of the era of the sanctions war against the USSR. These were very noticeable blows. Over the decades of the sanctions war, the USSR economy was almost strangled. And if sanctions could have such an impact on a superpower, then what about small countries? Here, as a rule, not even threats, but hints are enough.

However, today's situation is unique in many ways. Firstly, Russian civilization has suffered too much last decades from liberals and Anglo-Saxons, and does not intend to surrender to them at all. Secondly, despite the difficult economic situation, Russian statehood is on the rise. We are restoring our political greatness, and our President Putin steadily holds the title of the most influential politician in the world. The very situation when the ruling elite of the United States declares that their country is a hostage Russian President, which had a decisive influence on presidential elections in the States it seems fantastic.

“SP”: - This is not the first time that American experts have noted that sanctions have not achieved their goal. What was the goal, and why was it not achieved?

The goal was to stop and humble Russia in its political ambitions. Squeeze it out of Ukraine and Syria. Force them to accept the rules of the game written in Washington. None of this worked out. On the contrary, Russia is increasingly beginning to determine the main directions of world politics. Why did it happen? Because reality itself is changing incomprehensibly. The modern liberal world itself, as can be seen, finds itself today in conditions that strongly resemble the beginning of our “perestroika”. Personally, I have long predicted that this would inevitably happen, and now it is happening. Therefore, the situation is truly unique. Neocons and other globalists are in a panic. The usual tools stop working, sanctions do not apply.

“SP”: - For the outgoing American administration, the issue of sanctions was so fundamental that they would not have been lifted under any circumstances?

I think yes. The neocons and neoliberals behind the Washington elite think in terms of forty years ago, when the sanctions of the Reagan era brought brilliant results. They don't understand what's happening, why it all stopped working. They are not capable of changing themselves.

“SP”: - What does Scaramucci’s statement mean? Will sanctions be lifted soon or not? From Trump himself we hear a lot of contradictory statements on this topic in Lately…

Yes, of course, what Scaramucci said has far-reaching meaning. Trump himself is forced today to fight off numerous accusations from different sides, so his words are often contradictory. But Scaramucci's statement sets a certain tuning fork.

“Still, Russians do not prefer to eat snow, but very tasty domestically produced delicacies, which are becoming more and more numerous thanks to sanctions,” the Kremlin responded.

Anthony Scaramucci. Photo: Albin Lohr-Jones/Zuma/TASS

UPDATED 12:31

Trump's representative arrived at the Davos Forum. This is Anthony Scaramucci, the former manager of the SkyBridge hedge fund and good friend Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

Scaramucci has already flown to Switzerland and gave his first interview to Russian media, in which he stated that relations between Russia and the United States could improve within a year, since President-elect Trump has a vision of common interests, including on the issue of anti-Russian sanctions.

As a Trump adviser said, “the sanctions kind of backfired because of the nature of the Russian people.” “I think the Russians would be willing to eat snow to survive. In my understanding, the sanctions most likely rallied your nation around the president,” TASS quotes him. He noted that the Trump administration has no objection to American companies invested in Russian economy.

Russians prefer not to eat snow, but to eat domestic delicacies - this is how the Kremlin commented to Business FM on the words of Trump’s adviser about the readiness of Russians to eat snow in order to survive. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told Business FM that he partly agrees with Scaramucci.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration - Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation“The fact that sanctions largely have the opposite effect, both for the country against which sanctions are imposed and for the country that imposes sanctions, we have spoken about this repeatedly and for a long time. But, as for such metaphors, we can probably agree with this, although I would clarify, of course: probably, after all, Russians prefer not to eat snow, but to eat very tasty domestically produced delicacies, which are becoming more and more numerous thanks to sanctions.”

How can we evaluate Scaramucci's statements that relations between Russia and the United States will improve in the coming year?

senior research fellow at the Institute of International Studies, MGIMO Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia“For now, these are all statements from people who have not officially taken up their duties, so it’s difficult to judge. Trump himself, indeed, throughout his entire career he says one thing and then another, now he is a member of one party, then a second. He changed three parties: first the Democratic, then the Republican, then the Reform Party, then again the Republican. Therefore, now you just need to wait at least six months, even the first hundred days of his work, as all new elected leaders and their team are usually assessed. There is such a point: if what is stated is not subsequently implemented, it gives a negative reputation to those who made these statements, and if it concerns some economic or financial issues, it is doubly, triply very important to watch. If you said something in this area, and then it wasn’t done, then it greatly affects the financial markets and everything else.”

Scaramucci's statements run counter to what Donald Trump said before he entered the presidential race. CNN published a selection of fragments of his previous interviews. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Trump advocated imposing sanctions against Moscow.

“Mitt was right when he said Russia is our biggest problem. He turned out to be right, no one knew how right! Look at what Russia is doing with Iran, how they control the situation in Syria and literally everywhere... We definitely need to be strong. We must demonstrate our strength. “Putin successfully took the initiative from Obama, took it from us, and did this for a long time.”

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova wrote in

In the Florentine church of Ognissanti, near the tombstone of Sandro Botticelli, there is a small basket. It contains pieces of paper with requests to Sandro. I don’t know what kind of tradition it is, because Botticelli is not a saint, not a blessed one. But they write. The notes were not folded, my gaze fell on the top one. It was in Russian, elegant girlish handwriting. I couldn't resist reading:

“Dear Sandro, make sure Antonio invites me to the south for the whole winter.”

Oh girl! My darling. Unhappy. Not eager to get married - just heading south. To spend the Russian winter in Puglia or Sicily.

Every Russian dreams of warmth. For centuries we have been trying to keep warm, but we cannot. In a country where there is winter for six months, the stove is the main fetish. Everyone is dancing from the stove. In winter there is only talk: “Do you have proper heating? But ours is not very good.” Recent years Türkiye, Greece and Egypt became our twenty good stoves. What kind of grilled carcasses on the sand? They turn over, exposing the sides and legs to the sun. This is us, Russians. We're warming ourselves. We need to get ready for the year ahead. Ahead of us, a storm covers the sky with darkness.

The story of Crimea is not only imperial, it is also human: they snatched a piece of warmth for themselves. Those who are richer have long ago bought houses in Thailand and Miami. I also know zealous patriots, singers from Donetsk and Lugansk, who flee to Goa for the winter. Eat, pray, drink. Budgets, of course.

Oksana Robski - remember this one? – told me that she is not a political refugee, but a climate refugee. He has lived in Los Angeles for a long time: it’s hot there, there are palm trees.

Well, those who abandoned their homeland for the sake of palm trees - we won’t talk about them. They are renegades, traitors. Joke. The eternally freezing Gogol fled from Russia to Italy. Tchaikovsky was in a hurry to rush away from the Russian winter there. In Florence, by the way, he wrote “ Queen of Spades».

Zinaida Volkonskaya, princess and poetess, abandoned her fashionable salon in Moscow and settled permanently in Rome. And they came to the salon the best people, Pushkin including. Now there is an Eliseevsky store in this house. But in Rome she rented a palazzo, the facade of which is decorated with the Trevi Fountain. Excellent choice, princess!

But God bless them, the chilled refugees.

In fact, our winter is our happiness. I’m not even talking about the steppe and the steppe, not about the white stars in the snowstorm, although it is very beautiful. (However, from the point of view of a freezing coachman, it’s just so-so beauty.)

Winter saves the nation. Firstly, from the invaders. Napoleon and Hitler will confirm: the snowdrifts ruined their plans.

By the way, watch the film “Sunflowers” ​​if you haven’t seen it. World War II. Mastroianni plays an Italian occupier caught in the Russian snow. It is clear that he would have died, died like that coachman, but the Russian girl saved him. (Lyudmila Savelyeva). She dragged me through the snow into the hut. Warmed it up.

But our frosts are also a philosophical thing. Russians have snow in their heads. Which is very good from a sovereign point of view. All this age-old humility of ours is due to the cold. The reactionary philosopher Leontyev believed that this is from our Byzantine blood, from the habit of obedience. Everything around is bad, but we will tear our teeth for the Tsar and the Fatherland. I admired this Byzantine style. The philosopher is right, but he forgot about the frost. They will be stronger than Byzantium. A Russian person is not a gift at all. Sometimes he gets furious and grabs an ax: kill the master! Then he looks out the window - snow has piled up, oooooo.... The frost is crackling. Well, you need to dress, a hat, mittens. Well, to hell with rebelling, I’ll sit at home and look out the window. I'll admire it.

Contemplation of snow is true Russian meditation. Drives away dark thoughts. Raises to God. You don't need anything, just watch and think. Think and watch. What to think about? About eternity.

White snows are falling, / as in all times, / as under Pushkin, Stenka, / and as after me... This is Yevtushenko, if you forgot. So Byzantium plus frost equals the invincible Russian people. Frost is suffering. And suffering unites. It was sent from above, let us give thanks for it.

Russian revolt? Certainly. Necessarily. But for us it’s like a bath procedure. When you come out of the steam room - boom! - into a snowdrift. Eh, good! But then back to the stove.

No, citizens, the Russian winter is beautiful in every way. It strengthens the national spirit, and the sheets smell wonderful when it’s cold. What about snowballs? What about sled slides? Are the schoolgirls rosy-cheeked? And the drunken Lukashin? No, just imagine “The Irony of Fate” in the heat. A sweaty Lukashin in a nylon shirt collapses onto Nadya’s sofa. Sweaty Ippolit brings a sour watermelon. Nadya, disgusted, kicks them both out forever.

What a movie! There would be no great Russian literature without winter. Lensky wouldn’t have been lying murdered in the snow, Levin wouldn’t have been racing on skates, showing off in front of Kitty, and - oh horror! - the horse would not climb slowly up the mountain. Just imagine: no horse, no firewood, no man in mittens, nothing. Only fucking palm trees in Los Angeles.

Not convinced? Then the decisive argument. Fur coats. Girls, fur coats! Even if you don’t have a fur coat yet, you dream about it. But if you settle in Sicily, there is no dream. Where can you go in a new fur coat? How does snow sparkle on a collar, huh? The dream is dead. What kind of Russian girl is she without a fur coat, I beg you! Dear Sandro, you’d better come to us yourself, we’ll take you ice fishing and grab some vodka.

The US sanctions backfired due to the nature of the Russians, who are “capable of eating snow to survive.” Anthony Scaramucci, business affairs advisor to the elected President of the United States, said this on Tuesday, January 17, in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland).

Restrictive measures have rallied Russian citizens around the president, Scaramucci noted.

According to the adviser, Trump is very respectful of the Russian people. “He has great respect for the Russian people and the legacy of relations that the United States has with Russia, which goes back to World War II,” he said, emphasizing that even during the Cold War, the United States and Russia had respect for each other. allowing the two countries to “keep our citizens safe during this period of tension.”

Scaramucci also expressed confidence that Washington and Moscow will be able to improve relations over the next year thanks to the position of the elected president on this issue. “He has a vision of mutual interests, and perhaps in a year a relationship with Russian people and will be better than today. I’m not saying that this will happen - who knows what circumstances or facts will affect our relations - but we want it anyway,” he said.

Russian and US authorities must think outside the box to share common goals, such as fighting terrorism and raising workers' wages, the Trump adviser added.

As part of the Davos Forum, Scaramucci met with the head of (RDIF). The conversation lasted about an hour, during which the interlocutors discussed the prospects for Russian-American business cooperation.

On January 15, in an interview with newspapers, Donald Trump spoke in favor of concluding a nuclear agreement with Moscow as part of negotiations on easing anti-Russian sanctions. “Let's see if we can make some good deals with Russia. I think let's start with the fact that nuclear weapons should be significantly reduced,” he said.

The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation said that there are currently no negotiations on a nuclear deal between Moscow and Washington.

Two years ago, the first deputy prime minister of the Russian government, speaking at a forum in Davos, said that “if we feel that someone from the outside wants to change our leader and this is not our will, that this is influencing our will, we will simply united as never before."

Western sanctions are having the opposite effect, ensuring the nation is united around the Russian president. This opinion was expressed by the adviser to the elected US President for business relations Anthony Scaramucci.

On the eve of the inauguration Donald Trump Scaramucci gave an interview to TASS on the sidelines of the economic forum in Davos.

Introduced by the United States and the European Union, Scaramucci noted: “You know the Russian people better than I do. The sanctions backfired in some ways due to the nature of Russian people. I think the Russians would be willing to eat snow to survive. In my understanding, the sanctions most likely rallied your nation around the president.”

Recognizing that there are serious difficulties in relations between the United States and Russia, Trump's adviser suggested that under the new administration the two countries will have the opportunity to come to the negotiating table to "come to a better agreement."

Who is Anthony Scaramucci?

53-year-old Anthony Scaramucci was born in New York into a middle-class family. After graduating from Harvard, he worked at Goldman Sachs, where from 1989 to 1996 he worked in investments, equity and private wealth control. In 1996, Scaramucci, along with his colleague Andrew Boszhardt founded Oscar Capital Management. In 2001, Oscar Capital was sold to Neuberger Berman; this company, in turn, came under the control of Lehman Brothers in 2003. Scaramucci, after all the mergers and buyouts, found himself in the position of managing director of the investment control department.

Scaramucci's new project was the global investment firm SkyBridge Capital, founded in 2005. In 2012, SkyBridge Capital was named the best multi-strategy hedge fund worldwide.

The businessman, who is a longtime Republican supporter, served on a national financial advocacy group in 2012. presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Scaramucci is a close friend of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who, in turn, will serve as a senior adviser on the new president’s team.

“Sanctions are meaningless unless their goal was to ruin French farmers.”

She also spoke on the topic of relations with Russia and anti-Russian sanctions French National Front leader Marine Le Pen. The politician, who is one of the main contenders for the post of president of the country, exclusive interview Izvestia also noted that anti-Russian sanctions are meaningless.

“Of course, I will advocate for the lifting of sanctions. They are meaningless, unless their goal was to ruin French farmers,” Izvestia quotes Marine Le Pen as saying.

In addition, the leader of the National Front repeated a previously made statement - if she comes to the presidency, she intends to officially recognize Crimea as Russian. “Crimea’s belonging to Ukraine was only an administrative issue of Soviet times; the peninsula was never Ukrainian. “I regret that the referendum, organized to demonstrate the will of the people of the peninsula, was not accepted by the international community and the UN,” said Marine Le Pen.

Petro Poroshenko asks to maintain sanctions and give Ukraine “visa-free”

Directly opposite words were heard at that time in Kyiv, where Petro Poroshenko held a meeting with ambassadors of foreign countries. The leader of the Kyiv regime called for maintaining sanctions against Russia. “They [the sanctions] must remain in place until Russia fully implements the Minsk agreements and fully restores the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea,” Poroshenko’s press service quotes him as saying.

IN Once again The Ukrainian president also spoke about a visa-free regime with the European Union. “In 2017, we must finally resolve this issue. First, they must make the Association Agreement a legally accomplished fact. Secondly, Ukrainians must finally gain the right to travel visa-free to EU countries,” Poroshenko said. “To delay further is blatantly unfair, because Ukrainians have paid a high price. And it’s dangerous, since further unjustified delays undermine the faith of Ukrainians in Europe, which, in fact, is what Russia is trying to achieve,” the head of state frightened the ambassadors.

At the same time, Poroshenko considers a visa-free regime a way to return Crimea. “The association agreement and visa-free regime with the EU have long become integral elements of the strategy for the return of Donbass and Crimea,” said the Kiev politician.

There is a feeling that Petro Poroshenko has a vague idea of ​​the residents of Crimea and Donbass, and the problems that really concern them.