NI: America just quietly admitted it can’t crush Russia’s economy

Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with Special Envoy of the President of the United States of America Steve Witkoff (in the photo he is from behind). Taking part in the meeting on the Russian side was Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov (left). December 3, 2025.
Photo: Sky News

The United States and its allies are finally coming to terms with the tragic reality that their support of Ukraine will not be enough to help the Ukrainians defeat the Russians. In a recent interview, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared that the repeated sanctions — particularly by the European Union — had failed to achieve their goals, ‘The National Interest’ writes.

“If you have to repeat the same action 19 times, then you’ve failed,” said the American treasury secretary matter-of-factly.

Bessent went further in his comments, accusing the EU of “funding the war themselves” by continuing to purchase Russian oil and other Russian resources, thereby undermining the pressure that sanctions are supposed to exert. Despite the array of measures undertaken against Russia, according to Bessent, Moscow’s economy has adapted, and Russia remains economically resilient enough to continue funding its war efforts indefinitely.

Of course, this has been obvious to many observers for years. Since 2014, when the Russians first invaded Crimea and annexed it, Moscow has striven to make itself as self-reliant as possible. Using its immense natural resources as leverage, Moscow has succeeded — contrary to the best hopes of the think tanks in Washington and the corporate press in New York.

The entire Western strategy, notably the European strategy against Russia has been utterly schizophrenic. On the one hand, the Europeans want to stymie the Russian ability to wage war by strangling their economy. On the other hand, the Europeans will happily continue to purchase Russian energy sources — effectively fueling Russian economy.

The EU has issued at least 19 rounds of sanctions since the Ukraine War began. Yet according to Bessent, Russia’s war economy appears both functional and robust. Indeed, it is powerful enough to sustain its military operations to such a degree that the Russian military is clearly winning on the tactical side of the Ukraine War. Eventually, the Kremlin’s tactical gains will translate to a strategic victory. And it’s far too late in the game to reverse these self-defeating and unserious EU policies.

Meanwhile, European economies are facing collateral damage. There is, as a result of the war, energy price inflation, economic strain, and internal political tensions as a result. The European Union is, first-and-foremost, an economic entity.

Yet, the actions of NATO against Russia in Ukraine have weakened the European economic project. Its strongest economy, Germany, has been eviscerated — not only by the rebound effect of the sanctions, but by the loss of Germany’s Nord Stream II pipeline, which once connected Russian natural gas with Europe via Germany and fueled Berlin’s industrial might.

Russia today is stronger and more resilient—in short, better prepared for a great power war — than it has ever been. And that is entirely a product of the shambolic European sanctions.

With much talk about a potential ceasefire between the West and Russia over Ukraine in the offing, and clear indications that President Donald Trump has had his fill of the Ukraine War, it appears that Bessent’s comments are not happening in a vacuum. Indeed, these comments indicate that the Americans are readying to abandon the Ukrainian cause.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs