Ron Paul warns US over imposing sanctions on Russia

Former US congressman Ron Paul has warned that imposing sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine will encourage more backbiting between Washington and Moscow.

In an interview with RT on Friday, the former presidential candidate strongly criticized Washington’s sanctions policy.

“If two countries get in war, one of the most important things they do is put on blockades, they prevent trade so the various countries can’t get their raw products,” Paul said.

“What I keep thinking is why don’t we try to see it from the other perspective: How would we react if we couldn’t import something? What if China or Russia or somebody came in and said you cannot import certain things or we’re going to prohibit you from trading? And yet we too casually do that with others,” he argued.

He made the comments one month after people in Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

US lawmakers have decried the vote as invalid, calling it violation of international law.

The lawmakers have introduced sanctions against the Russian economy.

“Any type of sanctions or retaliation is detrimental to both sides. I’ve often thought that if people understood what was going on they’d express objections to these kinds of bickering back and forth,” Paul explained.

“Governments get involved and they do dumb things and the people in the middle are always suffering so if they suspend anything it’s the little guy who usually gets punished,” he said. “If we’re talking about the average person, people who have jobs, they suffer the consequences and that’s very bad,” he added.