Zaorálek's misguided embargo

Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek supported the idea of an arms embargo on Russia, saying last week on ČT that it's needed because of the transfers of sophisticated weapons systems across the border. These transfers are an important source of the tragedy that occurred there, he said. An attentive listener would be excused for deducing from this that European weapons are being smuggled into Ukraine for use by the separatists, but surely this isn't what Zaorálek meant. The embargo planned by the EU would apply only to future EU arms contracts and would therefore have almost no impact on the Ukraine conflict, unless it dragged on for years. The embargo would instead hurt a company like Tatra, which has been ramping up to do big business in Russia with its trucks. By supporting the embargo, Zaorálek will win applause from Putin's detractors but will otherwise achieve something quite different from his stated intention.