RIGA, August 17 (RIA Novosti) – Poland was not ready for Russia’s response to the EU sanctions, Vice Chairman of the Polish Foreign Affairs Committee Tadeusz Iwinski told Latvian radio station Baltkom.
“Of course, Poland backed the EU sanctions against Russia even though we understood that we were the most vulnerable side in case of counter-sanctions as we are the only European country bordering both Ukraine and Russia. Russia is also Poland’s second largest trading partner, behind Germany. We export a vast number of goods to Russia, including fruits and vegetables,” Iwinski said in an interview Saturday.
“I think that the government was not prepared enough for the situation. Once we decided to impose sanctions against Russia, we should have been ready for a backlash. Sanctions are a double-edged sword and our producers are now suffering,” the politician stressed adding that Brussels could hardly compensate for the losses.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on economic measures to protect the country’s security. The decree banned for a year imports of agricultural and food products from the countries that had imposed sanctions on Russia. The list includes meat, poultry and milk products as well as fruits and vegetables from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Norway. The embargo does not include infant foods and goods.
