Czech president bashes EU’s ‘hypocritical’ approach to anti-Russian sanctions
A total of 20 Russian financial, energy and defense companies were hit by sectoral sanctions
PRAGUE, November 3. /TASS/. The EU’s latest stance on anti-Russian sanctions ‘looks hypocritical’ and demonstrates Brussels’ ambivalence, Czech President Milos Zeman said on Thursday night in a TV Barrandov broadcast.
"I assert that the European Union’s decision to announce anti-Russian sanctions was a foolish thing to do. Now other [European politicians] say the same," he said. "The United States also imposed its own anti-Russian sanctions, and those sanctions contradict Europe’s energy interests, so the European Union protests against them."
"That looks a bit hypocritical, doesn't it? Let’s have those sanctions lifted," the Czech leader added.
Brussels slapped sanctions on Russia in 2014 and has repeatedly extended and expanded them since.
On September 14, the European Union extended individual sanctions against Russian persons and companies for another six months. Now, there are 151 individuals and 37 organizations on the sanctions blacklist. A total of 20 Russian financial, energy and defense companies were hit by sectoral sanctions.