GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Dr. Joel Westra, a Professor of International Relations with Calvin University joined FOX17 to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has left an estimated 40 people dead as of the early hours on Thursday.
Dr. Westra believes strong sanctions are on the horizon but doesn't know if it'll be enough to deter Putin from his goal of taking over the Eastern European country.
“I'm skeptical about the effectiveness of such sanctions...because Russia since its 2014 invasion of Ukraine in Crimea, and earlier 2008 war with Georgia, has been working hard to try to insulate more of its economy from the global economy. So that blunts the effects of sanctions somewhat unfortunately," he said.
Watch the full interview above to hear Dr. Westra's thoughts on how economic sanctions on Russia could impact us here in West Michigan.
