Most countries in the world have done nothing against Russia, but the West can still do a lot

Outside Europe and the North American continent, only Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea support sanctions against Russia. Australia is the only country that supports Ukraine in arms supplies.

Thus Russia will be able to trade freely with most of the world. This includes China, which buys more than 10 percent of Russian exports. Turkey, the second-largest importer from Russia (6 percent), has not yet imposed any sanctions. The Turks supply Ukraine with weapons, especially drones. So Ankara is the only arms supplier in this conflict and it does not impose sanctions.

Western diplomats are trying to get other countries to take punitive action, but there is a high possibility of Russian President Putin tightening his thumbs. Despite new announcements from the United Kingdom and the United States, the Allies have not pulled all the stops on this front. For example, the United States has restrictions on imports of luxury goods. Russian gas, oil and metal are still welcomed in many places.

Exports of luxury goods and technology to Russia are restricted by most countries, as well as Russia’s borrowing capacity. Most Western countries have cut off Russian banks from the Swift payment system. According to the sanctions database Castellum.ai, the United States is a country with very different sanctions. With 1,244 bans as of Thursday, they top the list in absolute numbers.