Thus the Financial Times today. “Germany’s exports to Russia are expected to fall by twenty percent this year, explains the newspaper. The machinery sector is especially hard hit. Russia is the fourth most important export market for German machinery and plant technology. Many businesses in the country had hoped that the European Union and Russia would quickly settle their differences over Ukraine, but things are changing. Now it seems that sanctions will remain in place for a long time. In addition, they are likely to get tougher. Many companies that export to Russia are thus in danger of shrinking in size. The recent drop in the value of the ruble against the euro contributes to the worries about the future. In short, the sanctions are now deemed to be counterproductive for Germany. Although Germany is hardest hit in this respect, a number of other countries from the European Union are suffering similar problems. Until recently, Russia was the third trading partner for the Union and the Union was the first trading partner for Russia. For the Union, too, sanctions are nothing if not counterproductive.