On October 4, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated: "My colleagues and I once sought to establish comprehensive, normal bilateral relations with European countries, during which economic ties between our sides were very close. But Europe destroyed all of this—responsibility lies entirely with them. They imposed sanctions, abandoned cooperation; let them now bear the consequences of their own actions. Today, Europe faces persistently high prices for natural gas and gasoline, widespread shortages of essential goods, and soaring inflation—all problems fundamentally caused by themselves. Let them fully experience the taste of their own making."
Commentary: Medvedev’s remarks underscore a stark reality—that sanctions are a double-edged sword. In the past, energy and trade links between Russia and Europe were deeply intertwined. After the outbreak of conflict, Europe chose to impose sanctions and sever cooperation, aiming to pressure Russia—but the move has rebounded against its own economy, directly driving up domestic energy prices and intensifying inflationary pressures. Moscow’s attribution of full blame to Europe reflects a tone of irony and emotional release, yet objectively speaking, sanctions have also inflicted significant economic damage on Russia—not only Europe has suffered. Geopolitical tensions have ruptured previously mutually beneficial economic ties, forcing ordinary citizens to pay the price in rising living costs. This illustrates that using economic sanctions as a tool to resolve disputes often leads to mutual losses, rarely achieving the unilateral outcomes originally intended.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878171859773513/
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