Following news that Russia has ordered troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine, Mishcon de Reya Partner Shaistah Akhtar was interviewed by the BBC World Service to discuss the sanctions that western countries have subsequently imposed.
Speaking on the BBC World Service’s World Business Report programme, Shaistah talked about the likely impact of the current sanctions, what room exists now for further measures, and the difficulty in coordinating measures internationally.
Shaistah explained: “I think so far the sanctions that have been announced by the UK have been fairly limited. They’re not particularly significant in terms of the potential impact they would have either on western businesses, individuals, or on Russia for that matter. The UK could have gone further, but I think that was deliberate because there is a policy to escalate the sanctions if needed – and I think they needed to allow some room for manoeuvre.”
On the prospect of additional sanctions, and the impacts they could have, she added: “There is a lot of interdependence between the EU and Russia. The reality is that you have a number of different countries with different degrees of dependence on Russian gas. That will need factoring into any action that is taken.”
The interview starts at 4 minutes - listen now.