Unintended consequences

EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that the EU Support Hub for Internal Security and Border Management in Moldova will focus on preventing weapons supplied by Nato from being smuggled out of Ukraine by organised criminal gangs.

I wonder how much European Union and American money is stolen by politicians and criminals in Ukraine.

Before the invasion of Ukraine, India’s imports of Russian oil were negligible due to high freight costs. But recently, imports of Russian oil, on which India receives a 30% discount, have become sizeable and make the EU concerned lest some of the refined Russian crude may end up sold on to Europe.

The question is not whether the Indians are exporting Russian oil. The question is how to stop them or other countries doing so. 

The next question is are sanctions going to hurt European Union worse than Russia? The answer to that is obviously yes.

Does that matter? That's a question for you, gentle reader. I don't know the answer.