John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and it clearly takes time. Everybody is interested in the background - the rationale rather than research - for particular sanctions rather than others. We must be guided by the fact that the last people we want to penalise are our own citizens and people in business here. We do not wish to affect consumers here who have felt an impact. What is the purpose or rationale for this? In other words, what is the endgame for sanctions? What are they designed to do? Is it, as the Minister implies, to bring Mr. Putin to the table? Is it to put such a squeeze on those who support him that they would be minded to tell him that he should bring an end to this? Is it that there would be such a negative economic impact on Russia over a period that its leadership would be minded to take a different course of action? What kind of timescale does the Minister envisage for the sanctions to have the desired outcome?

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