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Retired Ambassador Fernando d’Oliveira Neves defended that Western sanctions against Russia are “in vain” and that the solution to the war in Ukraine must be negotiated with Vladimir Putin. “We could start by trying to reach out to Russia to see what measures they can accommodate,” the diplomat suggested in an interview with CNN Portugal.
If Vladimir Putin does not listen, “patience”: we must continue the diplomatic path to “find a solution that takes into account the legitimate concerns Russia’s security,” he defended the ambassador who negotiated on Timor. Sanctions are “completely worthless”: “The only time they say that sanctions could have had any effect was during the apartheid period.”
Fernando d’Oliveira Neves, who served at the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations (UN) and the Embassy in Washington, explained that condemns and opposes “completely against” Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The head of the Russian state is a “criminal” and “murderer” who should be present at the International War Crimes Tribunal, he classified.
But it is not recommended to “create an austerity regime against Russia” because it is harmful. In fact, the sanctions that were applied in 2014 during the annexation of Crimea were already a mistake: “They humiliate the country and strengthen political unity and cohesion,” the diplomat believes.
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That is why the ambassador “categorically against NATO expansion to the east” she also disagrees with the opening of the European Union to any country that left the Soviet Union, such as Moldova, Georgia or Ukraine. “All countries have problems with Russian minorities,” Fernando d’Oliveira Neves believed, “and “ours are enough for us.”
And these problems can become more dense for the countries that are members of the Alliance, Fernando Neves fears. “The path we’re on could lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and RussiaThis direct confrontation could “easily slip through a small misunderstanding” between Russia and Finland, countries that share maritime exploration of the waters bordering both coasts, the ambassador warned.
Trying to interpret Vladimir Putin’s goals, the ambassador believes that the Russian leader has two demands on the West: to recognize Russia as a great power and recognize that the country “has a right to have security concerns for your safety, as we all do.” Fernando Neves calls for an end to “hypocrisy” and “not to pretend that we are saints when we do the same thing.”
“We support for I don’t know how many years the biggest violator of international law who practices in installments what Russia does all at once: Israel,” defended the ambassador, also warning that the international community was tolerant of US attacks on Iraq — which, in the end, in his opinion, had the same agenda , which is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
