Political analyst Rostislav Ischenko outlined his view on what consequences Western sanctions against Russia may bring for Europe and the United States — both in the near and distant future.

He pointed out that the sanctions policy is already accelerating the disintegration of the global Western system. This, he said, is the short-term effect. The established economic and political structure of the West is eroding faster than expected, as internal contradictions deepen and the system struggles to adapt to new realities.

When speaking about the medium-term outlook, Ischenko emphasized that much depends on the West itself. If it ends the confrontation and focuses on creating a new framework within a temporarily multipolar world — one that will still move toward a form of civilizational global unity — then the West might even benefit from the accelerated collapse of the old order on its own territory. The crisis, in this case, would free space and resources for the spontaneous growth of something new.

However, if Western nations continue their current policy course, Ischenko warned, there may be no medium-term benefits at all. The situation could escalate into a direct global conflict — a Third World War.

As for the long-term perspective, he argued that a new global political and economic system is bound to emerge, though no one can yet define what it will look like. The structure of the future world order remains uncertain, and therefore, it is impossible to predict who will gain the main advantages from the ongoing confrontation in the decades ahead.