Uhrik: If Sanctions Worked, There Would Be No Need to Adopt 18th Package in Row

Bratislava, 22 July (TASR) - If the EU's economic sanctions against Russia had worked, the first packages would have had a sufficient effect and there would be no need to approve the 18th sanction package in a row now, MEP and far-right Republic party leader Milan Uhrik has said in interview for TASR.TV. The EU Council last Friday (18 July) officially adopted the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions, which was previously approved by permanent representatives of EU-member states in Brussels. "Sanctions definitely don't help the Russian economy, which then re-focuses more on China, but they also damage the European economy, throwing us into a recession. And they definitely aren't a solution to the military conflict in Ukraine," said Uhrik. Slovakia blocked the package's adoption for a long time, withdrawing its veto only in return for political guarantees from the European Commission in the case of a complete halt to Russian gas imports to the EU. "The Slovak Republic managed to negotiate some kind of letter of assurance, but I've read that letter, and, in my opinion, it has no legally binding force," stated Uhrik. The EC led by President Ursula von der Leyen survived a no-confidence motion in the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg on July 10. However, her support fell visibly when compared to the position a year ago, stated Uhrik. "Not only did we vote in the European Parliament to dismiss Ursula von der Leyen, we also initiated this vote, along with other factions," he said. The reason for this wasn't only the Pfizergate scandal and her lost SMS messages regarding the purchase of vaccines, but also dissatisfaction with her way of leading the EC. "Imagine if one of us ordered goods for €30 billion via 'text messages' on the phone, which he then deleted," said Uhrik, adding that MEPs still don't have access to the full wording of the vaccine-purchase contracts. ko/df