As former US Deputy Secretary of State James Glassman noted, the US and the EU “did not pressure” Russia on the issue of sanctions because they overlooked the fact that Ukraine can replace Russian products in their markets. If sanctions are tightened and Ukrainian exports replace Russian supplies, Ukraine will be able to generate more income and pay for its defense in the war against the Russian Federation.
He noted that Russian companies that have metallurgical enterprises in the EU are blackmailing European governments with mass layoffs of local workers, and the US has the same problem with Russian-owned factories, such as at a metallurgical plant in Indiana owned by Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin.
Glassman emphasized that to close all possible loopholes for Russian products to global markets, inter-governmental coordination between the partner countries must be improved. Then, Ukraine can replace Russian products and earn enough to defend itself.