Sputnik: What is your take on the committees call to boost sanctions on Russia? Can this have any negative consequences for the UK?
Guy Mettan: I'm not quite surprised by such a proposal taken by the House of Commons. It's just the follow-up of a policy, which became now global [and] that's a strategy taken by the United States as a leader, but followed by Great Britain as a follower of the United States against the so-called rogue states. It was Iran and North Korea and now it has been extended to Russia and China as we have seen with economic sanctions.
For me, it's a part of a global policy adopted by the United States in the last few years in which Great Britain played a role of supplier or a follower [of the United States].
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So it's not at all surprising that [the House of Commons is planning to slap more anti-Russian sanctions]. And I think Great Britain especially will find new pretexts, every six months [they] find new pretexts in order to take new sanctions against Russia.
Sputnik: Can you talk about the repercussions of these sanctions if they are in fact put into place?
Guy Mettan: You know, the consequences will be negative for Russia and of course for Great Britain. But you know Great Britain now is in such a bad situation with the very negative consequences of Brexit that it is trying to solve its problems by [implementing] sanctions against the same adversaries as the United States [does].
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In the past few years, Great Britain has lost its role of a battleship of the United States in Europe. Now it's Germany and other countries [that have become the] battleships of the United States, including Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine.
The British are trying every day … to [maintain their role as a US] strategic partner, but the battle is lost and I think now Britain will never recover its old role. But the British authorities cannot recognize that to the public opinion so they try to develop new sanctions against Russia.
The views and opinions expressed by Guy Mettan are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
