The United States should reevaluate the use of sanctions against Russia because it will eventually backfire, former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said on November 11, 2016.

“I think we need to take a deep breath about how often we turn to sanctions because, first of all, they run out of their efficacy after a while, but secondly, we really start to use our financial weight in the global system to achieve geopolitical ends. Someday an adversary is going to say, hey, guess what, if you think the financial system is the battlefield, we’re going to fight you on that battlefield,” Mr. Chertoff said. He added that he himself would not retract existing sanctions.

Since 2014, relations between Russia and the United States deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Washington and its allies have introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, which the Kremlin has denied.

The West blames Moscow and Damascus over alleged bombings of the civilian population and armed opposition groups in Syria. Russia and the Syrian government dismiss the accusations, insisting that they only strike terrorist positions, while blaming the United States for its inability to differentiate between the so-called “moderate opposition” and terrorists.