By P Gosselin
Just when we thought leaders couldn’t possibly screw things up more…now Europe faces a massively crippling energy shock and the German Chancellor closes pipeline…NATO’s frightening race to war with Russia.
The inflation rate in Germany stood at +4.9% in January, 2022. In December 2021, it had been +5.3% when it reached its highest level in almost 30 years.
Chart: Destatis.
Soaring energy costs
The main inflation driver for Germany is energy, which in January saw an increase of 20.5% year on year.
According the the the Federal Statistical Office, motor fuel prices jumped 24.8% and household energy prices 18.3%, year on year. The price of home heating oil rose a whopping 51.9%, natural gas up 32.2% and electricity +11.1%.
The steep price rise for energy products was affected by several factors: 1) the CO2 charge that increased from 25 euros to 30 euros per metric ton of CO2 at the beginning of the year and 2) higher electricity prices.
Escalating to war
Now worries are growing that the situation Europe is about to get a lot worse.
Earlier today Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany was suspending the approval process for the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline – which means it cannot go online. The pipeline was built to be a major supply line to meet Germany’s energy needs as the country takes nuclear and coal power plants offline.
“55% of Germany’s natural gas demand is met by Russia’s Gazprom. Gas storage facilities in the country are currently only 31% full,” reports Disclose.tv.
2000 euros for 1000 cubic meters of gas
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, reacted with a forceful tweet to the German move:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued an order to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Well. Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2.000 for 1.000 cubic meters of natural gas!
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) February 22, 2022
Nuclear superpowers’ mad race to world war
All signs point to an escalating Ukraine conflict that threatens to fly out of control, possibly unleashing a World War between nuclear super-powers Russia and NATO.It’s reported: “NATO has put more than 100 fighter jets on high alert, and 120 allied ships are underway in what Stoltenberg called ‘the most dangerous moment for European security in a generation.’”Stock up everyone. it’s not looking good. We’re being run by dangerous, reckless madmen.
Next: Russia turns off the tap on the existing pipeline.
Exactly. I think this was on Putin’s agenda from the beginning.
No. There will be a local war and “someone” will shell the pipeline. The Russians will blame the Ukrainians and the Ukrainians will blame the Russians but then the Europeans will force Ukraine to the peace table with Russia or their citizens will freeze to death.
not likely to freeze to death any time soon you numpty!!
It’s spring in Europe now and the flowers are already here.
Putin was forced by his own crass stupidity to act now or within weeks comes the “season of unending mud”.
Or was Putin lured in by the CIA 🤔
Thereby guaranteeing that Germany will find sources of gas elsewhere. Putin is proving the point the US has been making for years that depending upon Russian oil and gas is a fool’s bet. Totally proven.
Funny how loudly the media have declared that Trump only told lies and got nothing right. I am no Trump fan but try and be honest enough to give credit where it is due. He was certainly right about the need and importance of the US being energy independent. Strangely he was also right about a number of other matters that were not insignificant like the need to clamp down on drugs pouring in across the southern border and China’s role as one of the major suppliers.
I think Trump was smart enough to let sane advisers in the GOP tell him what was what on foreign policy.
No doubt that whoever advises Biden isn’t out of nappies (diapers) yet…
Scary thing is that when Biden is meeting with his Cabinet and advisers, he may be the smartest man in the room.
And Biden exhibits signs of advanced dementia.
That’s right. The entire Democrat leadership are a bunch of morons who don’t have a clue about the real world or how to handle dictators.
They are good at corruption and criminality, though. Putin is just lucky he’s not running for president of the U.S. Then, the Democrats would pursue him relentlessly.
As it is, the Democrats will only place inconsequential sanctions on Putin. This may be because the Biden family got a big, $3.5 million payoff from the Russians in the past and Biden wants to keep that quiet, so he kowtows to Putin, acting tough and doing nothing substantial.
Dem/Progs are good at thinking up overly expensive social programs that are partially paid for by increasing taxes on Republicans, the rest is charged to the national debt.
That has been going on for at least 50 years, and we have a $30 TRILLION debt to prove it.
The extent of dysfunction cannot be explained by the incompetence and corruption of just one man.
I think you mean back in diapers. Depends. 😉
Don’t forget, Trump was a business executive who builds resort complexes all around the world. Trump dealt with the Russians and was not able to close any agreements with them. Trump has gone to Russia and successively run beauty pageants and other shows. This tells me that Trump knows how to deal with the Russians and not come out worse for the wear.
Trump had the balls to go to North Korea and offer Kim a business plan to turn NK around. Granted it didn’t come to fruition within one term. Which other world leaders have these kinds of balls, and business acumen to go to NK, to offer Kim a path other than global welfare?
Trump Inc operates somewhere north of 500 different business entities, and employs over 20k people. Yes some have gone south, but more than 90% of all businesses fail. If nothing else, Trump is a great executive.
Trump – owns three casinos (Casino = literally license to print money) – all go bankrupt. Trump magazine? Trump vodka? Trump steaks? Trump airline? Trump anything? All bankrupt. Trump is not, and never was, a great executive. Who has been filling your head with this demonstrable nonsense? Oh yeah… Trump. Trump is a con man, a liar, cheat, misogynist rapist, hypocrite bag ‘o shite. And this is the the person that you look up to and tout as being a ‘great executive’. More fool you.
Are you knowledgeable about how many businesses fail every year? Are you an accountant who knows how “failures” can affect the taxes you pay on profitable businesses? Running a large conglomeration of different entities is not an easy task. Think twice before you criticize.
Russia colluuuusion Adrian 😉
Not least being that he gave NATO a wake up call and to start funding more of their own defence and stop leaving it all to good old Uncle Sam.
Yes, NATO is now spending billions more dollars on defense than they were before Trump chastised them.
That may come in handy in the future.
NATO Expansions Starting in 1997
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening-with-germany-and-france-no-longer-in
PART 1
Germany’s Spiegel Asks “Is Vladimir Putin Right?” Over NATO Expansion
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germanys-spiegel-asks-vladimir-putin-right-over-nato-expansion
The West promised no to expand NATO, beyond East Germany (the Oder River), according to a recently made-public document from the UK National Archives.
A newly discovered document from March 1991 shows US, UK, French, and German officials discussing a pledge made to Moscow that NATO would not expand to Poland and beyond. Its publication by the German magazine Der Spiegel on Friday comes as expansion of the US-led bloc has led to a military standoff in Eastern Europe.
The minutes of a March 6, 1991 meeting in Bonn between political directors of the foreign ministries of the US, UK, France, and Germany contain multiple references to “2+4” talks on German unification in which the Western officials made it “clear” to the Soviet Union that NATO would not push into territory east of Germany.
“We made it clear to the Soviet Union – in the 2+4 talks, as well as in other negotiations – that we do not intend to benefit from the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Eastern Europe”,the document quotes US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Canada Raymond Seitz.
“NATO should not expand to the east, either officially or unofficially,” Seitz added.
A British representative also mentions the existence of a “general agreement” that membership of NATO for eastern European countries is “unacceptable.”
“We had made it clear during the 2+4 negotiations that we would not extend NATO beyond the Elbe [sic],” said West German diplomat Juergen Hrobog. “We could not therefore offer Poland and others membership in NATO.”
SEE URL
https://www.rt.com/news/549921-nato-expansion-russia-document/
PART 2
During a 1990 meeting, US Secretary of State James Baker assured Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev of the following:
Baker said, “If the United States keeps its presence in Germany within the framework of NATO, not an inch of NATO’s present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction.”
Several years later, NATO and President Clinton began considering just such a spreading—but not without controversy.
1) American diplomat George Kennan, a towering figure in Cold War strategy, who authored the policy of Soviet “containment,” was unequivocal in his opposition.
In a 1997 essay published by The New York Times, Kennan said, “Expanding NATO would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold-war era…Such a decision may be expected…to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking.”
2) A bipartisan group of 50 foreign policy luminaries—including Cold War hawks like Paul Nitze and Robert McNamara—signed an open letter to President Clinton opposing NATO expansion.
“Russia does not now pose a threat to its western neighbors and the nations of Central and Eastern Europe are not in danger…we believe that NATO expansion is neither necessary, nor desirable, and that this ill-conceived policy can, and should be put on hold,” the group declared.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/how-nato-empire-building-set-stage-crisis-over-ukraine
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/tangled-tale-nato-expansion-heart-ukraine-crisis
PART 3
NATO did promise Moscow it wouldn’t expand, former German defense official tells RT
https://www.rt.com/russia/549961-west-nato-expand-willy-wimmer/
Here is more evidence, the 1990-promise not to expand NATO beyond the Oder (border of East Germany and Poland), was deliberately broken by the US, using NATO as its battering ram since 1994
Hungary and Poland became the first major NATO expansion countries in 1997.
The present US/EU/NATO call for unison, is basically a call for “same-message-thinking”
It is a sign to the Media airing “at variance” thoughts is not welcome, even if such suppression would instigate a real war., which would give the US/EU the excuse to severely sanction Russia
They likely knew “stirring the bear” eventually would lead to trouble.
The US has instigated lots of wars/military actions/color-revolution since 1945
Eisenhower warned against the power of the military-industrial complex in 1960
The image shows, NATO expansions
The Baltic States are in NATO and not invaded.
Ukraine is not in NATO and is invaded.
It’s clear that NATO membership is a pre-requisite for independence in Central Europe. Moldova will fall next.
This is not about NATO aggression.
The Baltic states were sold down the river by the US and UK at Yalta.
No suprise they’re some of the most militant against a re-emergence of the same nasty crooks and thieves as ran the USSR back then.
They actually ASKED to join Nato so they could enjoy what little security can be bought sandwiched between such monumental A – holes as running nearby Bielorussia and Kaliningrad.
Damn right. NATO does not have any plans to invade and occupy Russia. Putin, however, operates under no constraints and can enact whatever his lizard brain decides is best for Mother Russia.
Did Russia invade? What lands have they taken?
You intentionally say Moscow to make a false equivalence between Russia and Soviet Union. Let’s use your logic for a second. Ukraine was part of Soviet Union during these talks thus they represent the Soviet Union. Therefore, it is “Moscow” itself that decided expanding Nato was OK. Now my logic, by making your claims you are saying that only the dictator on the throne in Kremlin can make decisions for any territory that used to be part of Soviet Union. PS current Russia promised not to invade Ukraine, look up Chamberlain for example of what appeasement gets you
Note the dates – they are are important. 1990 – 91. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Obviously, to anyone with an intellect more advanced than an earthworm, policy regarding NATO expansion is going to change with the collapse of the Soviet Union. What else would you expect? You expect NATO to adhere to an agreement with a body (the Soviet Union) that no longer exists?
It wasn’t just the Soviet Union that ceased to exist, but the Warsaw Pact. Hungary and Poland, no longer Soviet vassal states, rightly concluded that their best bet for security lay with the West, and NATO. The landscape changed. Policy was changed. It’s what happens when you are a realist and change to accommodate new conditions.
NATO expansion is a good thing. I now live in Hungary, member the EU and NATO, and it’s been a very good thing for Hungary. Much, much better than the 50 years of Soviet occupation that they endured. I live with Hungarians who lived during the occupation, and they hated them. Disgusting, uneducated, primitive bastards, every one of them, and they cheered as they left.
NATO and the EU are a force for good, a counter to Putins corrupt, arrogant, genocidal kleptocracy. Go talk to people in Ukraine. They’ll tell you. “Russia does not now pose a threat’. You think that statement is still valid?
No idea who you are, Willem, but I can tell what you are. Perhaps you’d be happier living in the Motherland. Maybe Putin would give you flat to live in, and all the bottled beetroot you can eat, as thanks for your support. Oh, and (Deleted gratuitous personal attack) SUNMOD
What was Obama and the CIA doing in Ukraine 🤔
“… you don’t know what you’ve lost ’till its gone …”
Not “lost”, stolen.
Given away?
And where is the alternative supply ? Sorry there is none the mid East is maxed out the USA stoped fracking and pipelines , the far East has stated it will out bid Europe for what LNG there is , Russia is the world’s largest energy producer .
The alternative supply is the Israeli pipeline to Greece that Biden just promised to block, to make Turkey/Russia happy.
The U.S. was the world’s largest energy producer right before Biden took office.
the eu/russia gas supplies were just fine UNTIL ussa decided to push into the market with your frakked gas from finance sites it looks like that supply isnt going to be viable long term either
oops germany foot shot itself
Would you mind rewriting that in English?
The oligarchs who support him and how get paid billions by the EU for gas will not be happy.
He may end up eating the ‘polonium meal’
We can only hope so. This ill-advised adventure may yet signal the end for Uncle Vlad. Can’t come a moment too soon.
I keep hearing the term Oligarchs…do you mind naming a few?
Somehow, I don’t think it took as long to get agreements and permits to build alternative, large-diameter gas pipelines to China from Russian fields.
won’t happen. Russia needs the foreign currency to fund it military aggression and still feed its people.
Russia has over $600 Billion in foreign currency reserves according to a recent article in The Atlantic by David Frum. That massive state account cash balance is in excess of all the paid for production costs of the armaments on public display captured by the media, not the least of which is the successful development and launching of an intercontinental suborbital hypersonic missile that leaves current ABM defenses obsolete/inoperative.
IMHO Putin’s future career as a Russian tyrant fulfilling of the fever dreams of Mother Russia rising to the prior glory years under Stalin “the Man of Steel”, recreating the “near abroad of the USSR”, depends upon a military invasion and definitive victory in eastern Ukraine taking more than just the small pieces he already controls in Donbas region. Otherwise he loses face and looks like a saber rattler. Moreover, I don’t think he gets the concessions he wants from NATO by threats alone.
How much of that is propaganda?
And China stops supplying everything the ‘developed’ decided it didn’t need to make.
won’t happen. China needs the foreign currency inflows to feed its people (like buying cattle and sheep from New Zealand, or hogs from Iowa), and to import LNG and coal.
The Trump-led US Energy Dominance of 2018-2019 scared the bejeezers out of Russia, China, and Global Elitists. That was because it meant the US could give the middle finger to Middle East oil (so no more US wars for oil security there and the Abraham Accords bringing new peace to the region) and to assist Europe with energy independence from Russia via LNG from the US Gulf coast terminals and (yes) coal exports from the East Coast.
Speaking of China – is it significant that Putin moved into Ukraine during the Chinese Winter Olympics, exactly 8 years to the day that the Maidan revolution occurred, during the Sochi Olympics?
He didn’t move in during the Olympics
Russia will sell oil, gas, coal, weapons, nuclear reactors to China, India , etc.
That means we should be producing more sources of energy to ship to Europe. A don’t mean windmills and solar panels.
Duh. That’s obvious to all but politicians and socialist/communists.
But maybe I repeat myself.
cant say Id be blaming him
IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO REPLACE RUSSIAN GAS
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening-with-germany-and-france-no-longer-in
Russia Pipeline Gas Supply to Europe
Fossil fuel provides about 70% of Europe’s primary energy
Natural gas provides about 20%; of that about 20% for electric power generation, the rest for heating and industrial processes.
Russia provided Europe and Turkey with 200.8 and 198.97 billion cubic meters of gas (bcm), in 2018 and 2019, respectively;
Russia provided 174.9 bcm in 2020, because COVID reduced economic activity.
Russia provides about 40% of annual EU gas requirements. See Note
Other gas suppliers are: Norway 22%, Algeria 18%, Azerbaijan 9%
Germany, Italy and Turkey received 45.84, 20.80, 16.40 bcm, respectively, in 2020. See URL
http://www.gazpromexport.ru/en/statistics/
LNG from Elsewhere Replacing Russian Gas
In case of no gas flow from Russia, 200 bcm/y, Europe would have a 40% shortfall, of which about 10% to 15%, or 20 bcm/y to 30 bcm/y, could be offset by diverting LNG from other sources; gas and other spot prices would be at new highs.
NOTE: In 2020, Russia provided the following percentage of gas to Europe, by country:
* Members of the EU.
Bosnia + Herzegovina 100%, N. Macedonia 100%, Moldova 100%, *Finland 94%, *Latvia 93%, Serbia 89%, *Estonia 79%, *Bulgaria 77%, *Slovakia 70%, Croatia 68%, *Czechia (Czech Republic) 66%, *Austria 64%, *Greece 51%, *Germany 49%, *Italy 46%, *Lithuania 41%, *Poland 40%, *Slovenia 40%, *France 24%, *Netherlands 11%, *Romania 10%, Georgia 6%.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/russian-gas-dependence-in-europe-by-country
Calculation of Additional LNG Carrier Loads
Assume an average LNG carrier capacity at 170,000 m3, equivalent to 76,500 metric ton of LNG
In 2020, world LNG demand was 360 million metric ton, equivalent to 4,706 LNG carrier loads/y. See URL
The 200 bcm/y of pipeline gas supply from Russia is equivalent to 1903 LNG carrier loads/y
There would need to be an enormous, worldwide increase in LNG carrier loads of about (4706 + 1903)/4706 = 40.4%, if Russian gas to the EU were stopped. See table
There would be a gigantic, additional strain on the world’s LNG system, which would send spot prices to unprecedented levels for many years.
At present, Europe lacks the capacity to receive and gasify that many carrier loads.
At present, there is a significant shortage of large-capacity LNG carriers
NOTE:
https://www.rivieramm.com/opinion/opinion/lng-shipping-by-numbers-36027
https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/natural-gas/liquefied-natural-gas-lng/lng-outlook-2021.html#iframe=L3dlYmFwcHMvTE5HX091dGxvb2svMjAyMS8
I hardly consider stopping the pipeline and telling Russia that it can’t force Germany into silence because of it, is a reckless action by madmen or women. I wouldn’t go to war over Ukraine but I don’t believe filling the Russian banks up with money and pretending they have done nothing wrong is a smart move either.
Putin’s recognition of and move into the “republics” is probably a prelude to general invasion. He hopes to draw even more Ukrainian forces into the Donbas before invading from the north, east and south. Plus airborne landings along the Dnepr in the center of Ukraine.
Why would he do that?
Putin has stated that the collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the worst disasters Russia has ever seen. He seeks to reconstruct the Soviet Union.
Wants a rebellious Ukraine? I doubt it. Just protecting his people (Russians).
If that were true, then our leftist leaders would be cheering Putin … just as they cozy-up with Dear Leader Xi
They are. Europe is largely in a ‘well let him have it’ mood.
My guess is he’ll take the Russian speaking part of Ukraine. Other than sanctions there is no reasonable action the west can take to prevent it, and Putin doesn’t seem to care about sanctions. It seems like the best we can do now is to try to make the transition as peaceful as possible.
Ah, yes … give the bully Vaseline so it doesn’t hurt too much. The Neville Chamberlain school of international relations.
of course, Putin = Hitler
‘Vaseline Putin’ – y’know, it could catch on!
There are many skirmishes in the world and you want to fight over this one?
What was Obama and the CIA doing in Ukraine?
Lots of CIA propaganda lately
What gives you the impression I want to “fight over this one,” Derg?
So are a lot of Ukrainians, it appears.
I believe in the likelihood of the collapse of the EU in the next generation but do not think this is about unscrambling the broken USSR egg. I suspect that Putin has other motives and is laughing all the way to the bank with the huge increase in oil/gas prices because of the Western warmongers. Putin is probably a much better student of history than Biden and certainly a better chess player.
sooner the eu/brussels falls over the better
I am not buying that.
Hit nail on head. Vlad is definitely a “Back in the USSR” sorta guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS5_EQgbuLc
Much of Ukraine was part of Russia for hundreds of years before it was part of the Soviet Union.
Russia is Russia, Ukraine is Ukraine. They speak different languages, have different culture. Ukraine was only part of The USSR. Once that fell apart, Ukraine returned to independence. Russia is relatively young, a product of the Swedish Rurik dynasty.
The eastern part of Ukraine is Russian speaking. Catherine the Great took that and Crimea back around 1750. I guess one could say that Russia became a nation state in 1547, when Ivan the Terrible (the Formidable) because the first Tsar. From then until the revolution, the Tsar’s added a huge amount of land. At its greatest extent 8.8 million square miles, Today Russia is about 6.6 million square miles. I’ve been to Ukraine several times. It’s was strange to see white folks living in conditions that are worse than in Mexico. Today the per capita GDP of Mexico is twice as high as it is in Ukraine.
The eastern part of the Ukraine is Russian because the Soviets imported lots of Russian speaking people in order to replace all the Ukrainians that Stalin killed.
THIS. People who don’t understand what the Ukrainians suffered under Stalin are as ignorant as Holocaust deniers.
Add to the cultural and language differences between Ukraine and Russia the fact that after the Communist Revolution and Civil War, after Stalin achieved power on Lenin’s death, the grain supplies and harvests of Ukrainian farming communities and rich farmers called kulaks were seized by Communist activists from the cities referred to as the 25thousanders; and the Ukrainian people starved, forced into exile, or forced to submit all they owned and the food they had to support the state, with millions of Ukrainians dying of famine during Stalin’s agricultural collectivization program in 1931-33; Robert Conquest estimated 4 million Ukrainians died in the famine of 1931-33;
Khrushchev’s father was a well-off kulak living In Russia, east of Ukraine.
Khrushchev moved to Ukraine, worked in a coal mine, became a union boss, was noted by the Kremlin, brought to Moscow, became President, gave Crimea to Ukraine, banged his shoe, etc., was ousted
Except that 18mio ppl speak russian in Ukraine. That’s the whole point, + NATO presence
Many countries, such as England and Egypt, were part of the Roman Empire for hundreds of years. So?
BTW, Ukraine wasn’t part of Russia. Kievan Rus’ as it is now called, was a loose association of states run by the Rurik dynasty which came from what is now Sweden. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurik
of course it was part of russian empire. Many cities were founded by russian tsars. Russians suffered as well under Stalin, who was not even russian btw.
Stalin was from Georgia
So what? Every line on every map has changed at least once in the last 100 years.
He did say that, but not in the sense of wanting to recreate it. It was an economic, human desaster.
To get a land bridge to Crimea and take the eastern industrial portion of Ukraine that is majority Russian speaking. During soviet times many ethnic Russian speaking people moved there for work and stayed. The Ukrainian government decided in the last few years to not recognize the Russian language as an official language in Ukraine. Which caused this whole problem.
THE UKRAINE PLOT IS THICKENING WITH GERMANY AND FRANCE BARELY IN LOCKSTEP WITH US/UK-LED NATO
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening-with-germany-and-france-no-longer-in
I wrote this article, because Russia-hating, extreme rightists in the US State Department and US Senate are leading the US into a shooting war with Russia, on European soil
I was living in the Netherlands during NAZI occupation.
Millions of European people, including my family, have vivid memories of war and the Holocaust.
EU Goals
European countries have had trade relations with Russia for more than 1000 years
France, Germany, and Russia are trying to find common ground and avoid the outbreak of hostilities.
France and Germany are aiming to deescalate the crisis atmosphere the US/UK is creating and hyping
France and Germany understand ignoring Moscow’s security interests and concerns is not realistic, if order, stability and peace is to be maintained in Europe
France and Germany are dependent on Russian energy supplies. They do not want to enforce the harsh restrictions the US/UK-combo demands.
Germany is unwilling to sacrifice its energy and industrial needs, and ENERGIEWENDE to facilitate Washington’s hostile anti-Russia policies.
France not acceding to the US/UK demands for extreme sanctions would further weaken their unwanted hold over European affairs.
France and Germany are ignoring the incessant complaints from Poland and the Baltic states, and now also Ukraine; all of them are acting as US/UK lapdogs to: 1) facilitate NATO expansions and 2) receive free weapons
Although the EU vows to respond to any Russian invasion of Ukraine to show “unity” with the US, they fully understand Moscow has no plans for any invasion.
US/UK Goals
A US/UK expeditionary army of about 20,000 was fighting with the Tsarist White Army against the Communist Red Army in 1918. That fight is still going by the extreme rightists in the US State Department and by some Members in the US Congress
In 2022, the US/UK are continuing to pursue their uncompromising, warmongering, hate-Russia agenda; they would have no bloodshed and damage within their own territories.
The US/UK-combo goals are to pressure, contain, threaten, intimidate, and diminish the viability of Russia
The US energy sector has a further aim to make Europe dependent on US LNG, instead of 25 to 30 percent less-costly Russian pipeline gas, as part of wiping out a competitor. Much to its frustration, Russia has allied with China and India, who are eager buyers of low-cost Russian oil and gas.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/there-will-be-no-winners-latest-efforts-preserve-peace-europe
NATO, a US/UK Handmaiden to Pressure, Contain, Diminish Russia
The US/UK combo has used NATO to advance US/UK policy goals to pressure, contain, diminish, demonize first the USSR, then Russia, which is unlike the USSR, but has been demonized just the same.
The US/UK policies do not fully serve the policy interests of the EU, which aim to gain power/influence by means of profitable international trade, instead of military muscle-flexing.
As a result, only a few NATO members fulfil their pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on their military defense.
The US/UK has almost no trade relations with Russia
France, Germany, Italy, etc., have major trade relations with Russia that are very profitable
Sanctions on Russia, eagerly imposed by the US/UK, and reluctantly imposed by the EU, have had little adverse impact on the US/UK, but major adverse impacts on the EU.
Russia’s response to sanctions has been countersanctions, and adaptations to minimize adverse effects of sanctions, including closer military and commercial alliances with China and India.
The adaptations have improved the diversity, independence and efficiency of the Russian economy.
NATO’s military infrastructure expansions into east Europe and the Caucasus since 1990 may have increased European security, but certainly diminished Russian security, in violation of the Helsinki Agreements and the Russia-NATO Founding Act
NATO has a convenient policy, which states each sovereign country has a right to make its own security arrangements.
Russia is surrounded by sovereign countries, such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.
Does that mean all these countries are fair game for NATO-color-revolution-style regime change?
Russia Recognized Luhansk and Donetsk as Independent Republics (not just the areas held by separatists)
https://nypost.com/2022/02/21/putin-mulls-recognizing-breakaway-ukrainian-regions-as-independent-states/
Putin addressed the security guarantees that he demanded of the US and NATO in December, arguing if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO, “then the threats to our country will increase many times.”
He raised the issue again in his speech Monday, Feb 21, 2022, arguing to his fellow Russians that “if Ukraine was to join NATO, it would serve as a direct threat to the security of Russia.”
“In NATO documents, our country is officially and directly declared the main threat to North Atlantic security,” Putin added. “And Ukraine will serve as a forward springboard for the strike. If our ancestors had heard about it, they probably would simply not have believed it. And today we don’t want to believe it, but it’s true.”
“I wrote this article, because Russia-hating, extreme rightists in the US State Department and US Senate are leading the US into a shooting war with Russia, on European soil” Excuse me it not the right say Russia is bad in the US it the left, they concocted a story the Putin help Trump it a lie and has been for the last six years. You also failed to observer that it was Oblama that set up a coup against the pro Russian Ukrainians who won and election in 2013 or 2014 and installed a right wing government. If you think Oblama was a right wing you are a fool. Now the neocons here in the US are on both side of the right and left, the one thing they had in common was a deep hatred of Trump since Trump was not an one to start useless wars.
How about offering Russia a full membership in NATO with a path to membership in the EU? No NATO country has invaded another NATO country. No EU country has attacked another EU country. An offer of membership should have been made back in 1994. Kenya’s Ambassador to the UN made a great speech on the embers of dead empires: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofijY6M-OA8
If post-Cold War Russia had any interest in joining NATO, the door was wide open. They were diplomatic about it at the time, but Russia made it quite clear that they felt they were a world power on their own and had their own alliances.
this is wrong. they asked in early 2000, Putin mentioned this during his speech the other day. In general, they called for a european security scheme many times during 2000-2010. It seems that the US was not interested.
I used to live in Norway
The reason Norway is not a member of the EU is to protect/control its natural resources.
Russia is not a member of the EU, to protect/control its vast resources
whoodah wanna be EU or Na2?
“France and Germany are dependent on Russian energy supplies. They do not want to enforce the harsh restrictions the US/UK-combo demands.”
That’s the problem. Germany and France are not free to act. They are prisoners of Putin’s gas. Now they are forced to allow a dictator to work his will. Realy stupid people running these nations.
no theyve got usa pushing their gas into markets upsetting the usually calm markets etc
thanks bidet and scummy son hunter
Willem,
Correction! There are no “Rightist” of any substantial influence in the US state department. If there ever was a deep state leftist establishment within the federal government, it started in the state department. And it was a long time ago. It blows a big hole in your theory.
Be honest, Germany, France and other NATO members are soft on defending Ukraine because they want cheap gas and to maintain business. No skin off their noses if some Ukrainian or other former Soviet satellite countries loose autonomy. It won’t be felt in Holland.
Business first, ethics later.
IMHO Germany and France couldn’t conquer (and hold!) Europe through force of arms despite repeated attempts over centuries. So they concocted the EU to rule by economic means, and convinced the people in the other countries to join, though they couldn’t get the British to give up the Pound for the Euro.
You bought into Putin propaganda to his own people. Putin has to get Russian on-board and he is justifying Russia aggression into Ukraine that will inevitably send large number of Russian soldiers back in body bags.
Putin wants Ukraine for its grain harvests. Ukraine has long been called “The Breadbasket of Europe” for good reason. The Kremlin wants a Moscow puppet in Kyiv to control where that grain goes in the coming years as the War on Fossil Fuels is already silently initiating a global food shortage of affordable grains.
Russia is the largest exporter of grains in the world
Ukraine was a major factor in the USSR nuclear sector.
It would have no problem to build a bomb, with missiles from its NATO friends, then threaten Russia.
russian midland provide massive grain and other resources eu depends on
well theyre stuffing that up rather well
Have you ever stood in front of Russian tanks, as I did in Prague in 1968? It was touted as a brotherly help.
During the cold war Russia bought the loyalty of many European leftists. They stayed bought.
When has NATO been a threat to Russia? It was formed to counter Russia’s aggression and expansion.
How would you feel if there was a military alliance next to your country, that does not accept to include you? I guess you’re right to feel threatened.
And to support the military-industrial complex, which was wheezing after WW2
and thats down now so they need another lovely war to use and claim more gov money
The fact remains that Russia has now launched an unprovoked all-out assault on Ukraine
well stated
It’s very like what a certain German did with Poland in the late 1930’s. Create agitation within another country (Poland) then come to the “rescue” of the “oppressed people”. The Ukrainians know that history and how life was under Russian rule before. They’ll fight.
Will the rest of the world turn their backs on Russian aggression again?
Not just the German guy. Ref: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Putin is a true son of Stalin.
Those Russian soldiers crossing the border are simply undocumented.
The Democrat Party has lectured me for years now, that borders are immoral, and that no human is illegal. This doesn’t apply to Ukraine? And Russia?
… and in search of a better life.
and attack from the east and the west
Russia HAS invaded the Ukraine in the last few days if you read between the lines. Media sources are just keeping it on the down-low. There are those who believe that Putin will stop when he controls the Russian speaking areas.
Historically, Hitler’s success in the German-speaking Sudentenland of Czechoslovakia gave him confidence to expand further, and declarations of war to stop him caused a German need to drive for the oil fields of the Caucasus….But it will probably be different this time, especially if nobody fights back.
It’s important that voters in the western democracies don’t know what is really going on, lest they become incensed, and some of their poll-incentivised politicians react…..
Biden being the weak, confused and toothless puppet was probably all of the encouragement Putin needed – you can bet that Beijing will be watching what happens with a great deal of interest. I’m pretty appalled by the high-handed ‘might makes right’ of Putin’s regime but equally the attitude of the US dems has been equally reprehensible – they had the power to force Ukraine to the negotiating table and sort this mess out, instead they backed Ukraine’s stalling and game playing whilst they tried to retake the Donbas by force. Putin’s wrong to do this but Ukraine has poked the bear once too often and now they are paying the hefty price.
No, he’s only going to take a small bite, then retreat with a small success.
This is his ploy, take small bites in one location, back off let things cool down, step up, take another small bite, step back.
Everyone gets all worked up talking about WWIII, then things cool off and we all feel a bit foolish … but Putin has made incremental gains.
In a year or two, he’ll be plowing—through Latvia—a road to Kaliningrad … to reunite Russian speaking peoples.
I think you might be wrong – it’ll be Byelorussia that does it, I reckon. But it all depends on how toothless NATO and Europe are over Ukraine – so far all we’ve heard is ‘sanctions, sanctions.’ Hello – they’ve been trying the sanctions game for about 10 years so far and it has done absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada. Time for NATO and EU to show some teeth or they might as well do nothing at all.
They’ll send the D&I crowd in to bite the Ruskies?
I agree- the Russian economy is trivial compared to the EU. It’ll suffer from this far more. They can sell energy to China of course but nobody negotiates better than the Chinese who’ll get the Russian energy for peanuts- while they eye all that land Russia stole from them, going all the way to Vladivostok. Russia should be careful getting bogged down is disputes with Europe while China is eyeing its butt side. Of course Russia considers Ukraine as part of Russia but this isn’t going to be the smart way to win them over. Watch “Why Is it Not in Russia’s Interest to Invade Ukraine? – VisualPolitik EN”. The presenter says it’s possible that America wants to bog Russia down in Ukraine. The young British dude who has this channel is very good in explaining or at least interpreting world affairs.
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Putin is not walking into a trap. Because of the weakness of Biden and the West, Putin will succeed in annexing at least a third of Ukraine, if not taking over the whole country and installing a pro-Russian puppet regime. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see China move on Taiwan once Putin’s invasion starts. Putin is in a win-win situation – his aggression on Ukraine is another step to reconstituting the Soviet Union, while oil traders fearful of the war push the price of the oil he sells to $90 – $100 a barrel. Meanwhile, the west is dependent on his oil and gas because they’ve shut down their coal and nuclear in favor of unreliable renewables.
This is not surprising. Dictators with global ambitions will do what dictators do: take advantage of the weakness of their enemies.
He has to
occupy and annex ALL OF Ukraine,
rename it NOVORUS,
have Russian as the only language,
restore the Russian orthodox church,
have all Media in Russian,
expel any people who do not agree,
throw out all NGOs, and all diplomats,
have no foreign Media,
build a fence similar to that of Poland to eliminate Special Forces from infiltrating.
Up to 40% Additional LNG Carrier Loads, if Russian Pipeline Gas Supply to Europe were Stopped
Brussels wind/solar bureaucrats make the same mistakes as Washington wind/solar bureaucrats
The only beneficiaries are multi-billion companies that supply the wind and solar systems, and Utilities, that sell much more high-priced electricity due to implementing the “electrify everything” mantra
Everyone else gets screwed with higher taxes, fees and surcharges, and higher household electric rates, as happened in Denmark and Germany.
Those people are told to grin-and-bear-it/sacrifice, because they are “fighting” climate change, a la Don-Quixote tilting at wind mills, while the RE subsidy-collecting elites cruise around in private jets and yachts.
Historically, the EU has imported very minor quantities of LNG, because LNG prices are about 25 – 30% higher than pipeline gas bought from Russia, under long-term contracts.
That will always be the case, due to cost differences of applicable technologies.
Brussels RE bureaucrats, likely with little hands-on experience in the energy sector, have urged EU countries not to sign long-term gas supply contracts with Russia, because that would send the wrong “virtue signal” regarding “weaning the EU off fossil fuels”. Just google, if you find this incredible.
As a result of Brussels RE bureaucrat myopic decisions, EU spot prices for gas have become “volatile”, i.e., about 5 to 10 times long-term prices
Russia made sure to reliably provide pipeline gas, to clients with signed long-term contracts, as confirmed by Brussels, Germany, Turkey, etc.
Russia has no contractual obligation to supply gas to the EU spot market.
Russia has no contractual obligations to fill the EU above- and belowground gas storage reservoirs
This was known by Brussels RE bureaucrats, prior to their myopic decisions.
Calculation of Additional LNG Carrier Loads
Assume an average LNG carrier capacity at 170,000 m3, equivalent to 76,500 metric ton of LNG
In 2020, world LNG demand was 360 million metric ton, equivalent to 4,706 LNG carrier loads/y. See URL
The 200 bcm/y of pipeline gas supply from Russia is equivalent to 1903 LNG carrier loads/y
There would need to be an enormous, worldwide increase in LNG carrier loads of about (4706 + 1903)/4706 = 40.4%, if Russian gas to the EU were stopped. See table
There would be a gigantic, additional strain on the world’s LNG system, which would send spot prices to unprecedented levels for many years.
At present, Europe lacks the capacity to receive and gasify that many carrier loads.
At present, there is a significant shortage of large-capacity LNG carriers
NOTE:
https://www.rivieramm.com/opinion/opinion/lng-shipping-by-numbers-36027
https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/natural-gas/liquefied-natural-gas-lng/lng-outlook-2021.html#iframe=L3dlYmFwcHMvTE5HX091dGxvb2svMjAyMS8
Russian is the dominant language in eastern Europe. It’s a legacy of the USSR and the Iron Curtain.
And an excellent excuse for a reconquest.
Actually, it’s English.
Special Mexicans?
“installing a pro-Russian puppet regime.” Oblama installed a pro extreme right wing puppet regime, that lead to this mess. Not only that that right wing government stifled all opposition. What in the hell was Oblama thinking, oh I forgot thinking was not Oblama forte.
I wonder, did Obama get any of that Hunter Biden cash? I would think the president would at least get as much of a cut of the profits as the “Big Guy”.
Fascinating how communists call anyone to the right of socialists, extreme right wing.
Normally, I’d agree. However, in the case of Ukraine, there may be some justification – at least for large parts of Western Ukraine. I’d normally refer to Ukraines government as an extremely corrupt oligarchy in the main though. Obama and Biden both did sod all to sort out the problems in Ukraine – all they were interested in was toning down the government corruption so it played well to a western audience. The problems for the majority of the people of Ukraine have got worse and worse – food, medicine and basic utilities need hefty bribes and sweeteners to obtain if they are actually available at all. I don’t know what the answers are but nothing has worked so far and I can’t see Putin going in will help matters either. It’ll still be a godawful mess in 10 years time at this rate.
Change you can believe in.
Exactly and Obama / Biden are about as feckless as they come.
“This is not surprising. Dictators with global ambitions will do what dictators do: take advantage of the weakness of their enemies.”
Yes, and the leaders of the West have plenty of weaknesses. It’s amazing that there is not one real leader among them. This is not a good moment in time to be led by stupid people.
Who installed the stupid people?
Not me.
“This is not surprising. Dictators with global ambitions will do what dictators do: take advantage of the weakness of their enemies.”
That’s right. Dictators always push their envelope, until they get sufficient pushback.
Not only is Biden a weak leader, he is a blackmail subject for Putin since Biden’s son took $3.5 million from the Russians for an unknown reason, which Biden probably doesn’t want to make public. Putin will keep it quiet for certain concessions.
Putin is not walking into a trap. He is creating a crisis to force concessions from the US and Nato. Putin will walk away with more than when he started. He doesn’t need to conquer Ukraine or start a full-scale invasion to get what he wants.
Don’t underestimate the West. I suggest Putin is making a huge mistake. This will ruin his economy. I saw recently that Russia’s economy is smaller than S. Koreas and it’ll get a lot smaller in a hurry.
As long as Putin can portray himself in the puppet media as restoring the glory of the Russian Empire, there are a lot of Russians who will put up with a lot of privation to support him.
sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to win in the long term- Russia would be better off advancing its economy the way China has and stay out of such problems- and “build back better” when stronger- the West isn’t going to make it easy for him
They gotta a lot o land and not many people…why dey need a big ****?
small but stable and theyre debt free and have a safety net
unlike usa trillions in debt
“Russian economy is trivial compared to the EU”
It’s possible that those in control don’t measure their economy in Euros, but in tonnes of tanks and artillery production….
Stalin: And how many divisions does the Pope have?
They need a buffer against Nato. So trap or not trap is not the real question.
It is the US/UK-led NATO using Ukraine as an attack dog to Pressure, Contain, Diminish, Eventually ruin Russia.
Before that happens, China will swoop in, en masse, to save Russia and get some type of reward.
THE UKRAINE PLOT IS THICKENING WITH GERMANY AND FRANCE BARELY IN LOCKSTEP WITH US/UK-LED NATO
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening-with-germany-and-france-no-longer-in
It’s absurd to think that Ukraine is an attack dog pressuring Russia, or that Biden and the weak western leaders have some plot to ruin Russia when they are shooting themselves in the foot by dismantling their coal and nuclear industries and becoming dependent on Russian natural gas.
When it comes to the world elites who believe in one world government. As Ron White puts it “you can’t fix stupid”
“It’s absurd to think that Ukraine is an attack dog pressuring Russia”
Yes, it is absurd. Ukraine is no military threat to Russia.
This “crisis” is all ginned up by Putin.
How many times did Biden say imminent attack during the past 30 days? That is not ginning/riling up the US public?
Even Zelensky told him to lay off
The U.S. public is not the one attacking Ukraine.
And the attack happened in less than 30 days. That sounds a lot like an imminent attack. Why do you object to accurate labeling?
“Before that happens, China will swoop in, en masse, to save Russia and get some type of reward.”
Yuh, like all that land Russia stole from China. Maybe China will be happy with just Vladivostok and those islands Russia stole from Japan at the end of WWII.
China has come down on the side of the Russians, hoping for help when they go after Taiwan
China still needs trade with the West and wants to not get into a trade tariff war with the US. Trumps’ trade tariff “riff” in 2017-2018 with China caught China by surprise and un-nerved. And the World is still mightly PO’d at China for unleashing COVID. China can’t fall into the Russian sphere without endangering itself even more. China cannot feed it’s 1.3 billion population without large amounts of fossil fuel and agriculture inflows to the country, a demand so large that Russia alone cannot satisfy.
China’s economy is in deep trouble.
Da Chens got plenty o peeps to take back a lettle land in NA, turnabout fair play after all, they don’t need the west but the converse is not true…it’s now wind and solar vs coal. Out come of that is foregone.
Taiwan is an electronics power house like Japan, South Korea.
China will soon take over Taiwan, because computer chips, etc., are needed by China and Russia
And Covid came from Ft Detrick, Maryland.
Ft D area votes 94% Dem, no?
Lots of people said they wouldn’t go to war over Sudetenland … then it was Czechoslovakia, then it was Austria … then it was Poland .. then it was the rest of Europe .. and then it was the USA that was attacked and forced to fight our bloodiest foreign war ever.
Well Obama / Biden might need a war given the runaway inflation in the US.
The “Putin-Hitler” scaremongering might work far better than the Covid scaremongering, for the benefit of the libtards, woke to broke, Great Reset, new wanabe fascist global cabal.
cheers
From the New Deal to the Green New Deal FDR, O’biden, same play book and mo’ war
Western Europe was in no position to go to war over the Sudetenland or Czechoslovakia or Austria. These countries disarmed after WWI and foolishly believed treaties and international law would save them from another war.
They had no deterrence — they lacked the ability and the will to stand up to aggression.
The Czechs had an army. The problem was everyone who wasn’t being attacked standing by while each small country was taken. If France & Britain had fought when the panzers were rolling into Czechoslovakia things might have turned out differently.
Yes, if… But neither France nor Britain were prepared to go to war. They lacked the will and the ability because they had downsized too much and had very limited offensive capabilities.
And today??
NATO countries and leftists in the US screamed when TRUMP! forced them to pay their agreed upon 2 measly % of their GDP on their militaries.
TRUMP! started to do some good in Europe when he moved troops around, moving many from Germany to Poland, but the Military fought this move. No news outlet has even mentioned that relocation of troops while discussing OBiden sending more troops to Poland and the Baltic countries. Another thing TRUMP was in the process of doing.
So the US, in the next TRUMP! presidency will, with no next election to stop him, remove all troops from the useless EU states like Germany, Italy, etc. and only place troops in training/support roles in countries who actually live up to their military commitments to NATO.
Bring our troops HOME from Europe, S. Korea, Japan ,etc. etc.
Take TOTAL control of the Moon, the ultimate HIGH GROUND. Build the linear accelerator and a pile of dirt clods to throw at anyone who threatens the US homeland.
With no atmosphere to cause loss of velocity, simple moon based particle weapons would provide protection of the moon base from attack.
Game, set and match.
Most Americans are unaware of those Realities. That’s because the Fake News mainstream press refuses to report on them.
Yet there are still some who insist that Trump was nothing more than a Russian lackey.
Imagine we to that. The next Biden, Obama or Clinton that comes along will decide to share with our enemies so they won’t be so mad.
We can build all the weapons we want but without the will to use them, they are big expensive paperweights.
Trump didn’t force NATO countries to do anything. To this date, only 4 countries in NATO spend 2% or over on military spending – USA, Canada, UK and Poland – everyone else is still far lower, some by a huge margin.
ya had me till the moon bit
takes little more boost to get there than to do skylab
but you never did
because? you prob didnt get there the first time either
until i see a new lander checking out that flag up close I still dont reckon you got there
yes write it then, Putin=Hitler, and at the same time Putin=Stalin
Biden = Stalin
Stoopid is as stoopid does
It really stupid when the UK has enough gas to go around, that is if they would tap it, the same for coal. Their problems are all over an no existence problem called climate change. Note to world the climate is always changing, the question always is how much and what direction and neither of those question are being answered honestly. God help us.
Hitler started off this way, started by taking a few countries nobody wanted to protect. There is no reason to believe Putin’s ambitions are limited to the Ukraine.
No, of course because hel’s Hitler as everybody knows. Maybe you should stick to climate research.
“There is no reason to believe Putin’s ambitions are limited to the Ukraine.”
Nukes might deter him.
“Daddy, I’m cold” might get people to rethink our civilization collapsing energy policies.
With regard to civilization collapsing and WWIII, it seems the elites want you and us dead.
By “you and us” I mean those that aren’t them.
I prefer the term scum, to ‘elite’.
Rules for thee but not for me…sums up mask rules perfectly.
Yep, Mo-rons git what Mo-rons d-serve along with the rest of us who aren’t them
Just put on another layer of coats, sweetie … soon, it will Spring and you can peel a couple layers off. You may suffer from pneumonia … but you’ve “saved the planet”. Freezing for Gaia is … well … a “Saintly” act.
Shutting down nukes and then relying on wind and solar is the meatheaded policy, which is being relieved by lignite and Russian gas.
Yes, the madness is Europe’s buying into climate craziness.
Putin isn’t mad. He is clever, cold, cunning and calculating, correctly judging the West’s weakness and Wokeness.
Along with Xi times 10
Putin’s aggression in Geeorgia (2008), Crimea and the Donbass (2014) and now Ukraine correlates with high world fossil fuel prices. Conclusion: Putin needs the large excess of cash generated by high oil and gas prices to fund his military aggression. The West’s suicide War on Fossil Fuels is what allows Putin to have the ability to wage Russia’s aggression on its neighbors.
OK. The rest of it I’ll buy, but it was South Ossettia, not Georgia – Sakashvilli, President of Georgia rolled his tanks and troops into South Ossettia and Putin aggressively kicked them out again. That’s why the Georgian people convicted Sakashvilli of war crimes and have now imprisoned him. Aggression by Georgia and against them – strange how the MSM downplays that Georgia was the first to resort to aggression and violence.
The EU seemed to have a moment of inspiration when it designated natural gas and nuclear energy as green. Pity Germany did not follow suit and stop closing its nuclear power stations. Its gas comes from Russia, but it is now digging up lignite from beneath villages – imagine that happening in the UK???
So how will the famed German economy get over this, with electricity prices already among the highest in Europe? Perhaps, the Greens will see sense and stop cutting down ancient forests to build wind farms!!!
My leftist neighbors who have to re-order their Porsche because their car is burning in a cargo ship off the Azores … are worried they will have to pay +20% for their replacement Porsche … not to worry, they all have government jobs
They’ll be lucky if it is just 20%. I would probably put it at more like 50%-80% more by 2023. Replacing that lost cargo only backs up demand even further into the 2023 and 2024 production runs. Production Runs that already are struggling with higher material costs, and now energy costs to the European factories that assembled them.
The west wins the Darwin award, soon!
Stupid energy policies aside, you cannot appease Russia with small stuff. The Bush Doctrine was to fight wars on foreign soil and not wait for the war to come to you. Eastern Europe would be wise to think about this. As an aside, when Russia gets more money for their carbon products so do the other producers. Inflation, anyone?
Ron, You are conflating gross revenue with profits.
Russia and OPEC profits from high oil and natural gas prices. Everyone else down the line has higher revenue but potentially less (or the same) profits. Energy price increases pass down to the consumers in higher prices for foods, finished goods, electricity, and transportation fuels. The only ones profiting are the energy producers, but even their costs for labor and machinery to keep producing oil and gas will ultimately increase as well.
Yeah, that Bush Doctrine was a real winner. Oh wait, it’s 2022 and we know it was a disaster.
Nah, it wont go to war, Putin knows he cant win, all he is doing is protecting Russian speaking Ukrainians from being victimised. There is a lot of bad blood between them, when the armed mob took power in 20154 they declared the Russian language illegal, despite millions of Ukrainians speaking it.
This shows the mentality of Ukrainians. Yeah, *******, and now, we dont want them in NATO either. And really, we shouldnt even help them, they asked for it.
Yeah right! And Hitler only wanted to protect the German speakers of Bohemia and Moravia from the their fellow countrymen the Czechs. Matthew Sykes gives us Peace in our time.
One ‘small” problem there though.
Russia has a permanent seat in the UN Security Chancel, because it fought fascism and Nazy Germany.
And also Ukraine is not a NATO member.
Oh well, just saying.
cheers
Ukraine did have a separate vote in the UN General Assembly from the USSR. Remember that one of the carrots given to the USSR to join the UN is that Soviet Socialist Republics would have 3 members in the UN as opposed to 1. Ukraine was one of those separate members, not part of the USSR. That was the choice of the USSR, not the Americans.
Sorry I couldn’t edit my previous post. Belarus also was one of the Soviet Socialist Republics that had a vote in the UN General Assembly separate from from the USSR even though it was part of the USSR. So by the logic of the USSR, Ukraine and Belarus were countries separate from the Russian dominated USSR.
I just stated two simple facts, telling you that is not easy at all for any country or even NATO to declare war to Russia under the circumstances… rather quite impossible.
Also pointing out, that being judgemental and implying or claiming that Russia is the same or similar to Hitler’s Germany, just like that, because it is following a similar tactic, does not really help, I think.
cheers
It’s a similar tactic that a lot of people are falling for just like a lot of people did in the 1930’s.
But still, that does not make Russia a Hitler’s Germany at this point in time.
And under the circumstances, politically, trying to project Putin as Hitler, it only works for Putin.
cheers
They (the Ukrainians, I assume) asked for a Russian invasion? What are you, a Russian troll?
Well you might be 🤔
Yes they did. The people in Donetsk and Luhansk did, anyway. Kyiv not so much, I’ll grant you!
yuh, but if you were a Pole or Hungarian or Bulgarian you might not like the sound of marching Russian troops- those nations are begging America to send them more troops
The Biden crime family has laundered US taxpayer dollars through a corrupt Ukraine for years now … let me say that I draw the line when their crime syndicate starts costing the lives of young Americans to keep Hunter in piles of crack cocaine.
About 100% of Ukrainians speak Russian, give or take. Russian-speaking Ukrainians are not a minority. If Ukraine is anything like its neighbors Poland or Belarus, Ukrainian is a second language.
That was an openly Nazi coup d’etat paid for by Obama, $5 billion, and Biden was point man in 2014.
Check the Azov Batallion, Bandera, the ONU, the Galicia SS – all Nazi. As Putin precisely put it, Kiev is preparing a Blitzkrieg on Donbass. Now there are 2 new Republics, Donetsk, Lugansk , recognized by Russia, to cheers and dancing in Donbass.
Correct me if I am wrong, but, aren’t they currently purchasing Russian gas? Nord Stream 2 would be a new pipeline to deliver the gas they are already getting. Postponing the certification of Nord Stream 2 seems like an empty gesture unless they stop purchasing gas through the existing delivery system.
But Russia paid to build NS2, right? They’d love to sell a lot more energy to the EU but they won’t now. They’ll be selling a lot less- they can sell it on heavy discount to China- but that means piping it across Siberia.
The new Siberia China pipeline almost ready to go. If the EU wants to do a harikiri, who cares, except of course voters being gauged by utter incompetent policies.
Gazprom was one of several companies that built Nordstream 2, although it paid 50% – I think one was French and the others German, Austrian and Dutch. As soon as the dust settles and people look at the next worrying thing, NS2 will quietly start pumping gas – Europe needs the gas desperately, far more than it needs Ukraine.
“Postponing the certification of Nord Stream 2 seems like an empty gesture”
I think that’s what it is. Even so, it still made the Russians angry. Or maybe that’s just part of the act, too.
What makes Russia angry is not some silly Brussels’ pomposity, rather NATOstan putting missiles on its borders. When Macron tried to deal, he was told bluntly get the US to the table to deal. Germany and France are now clearly seen as US vassals.
I read somewhere that Nord Stream 2 may have been pressurised and ready to use. It can be restarted at any time. When Germans run out of gas (if Ukrainian pipe is damaged and closed) they can put a Bundeswehr unit to operate their end, no one else would be wiser of what is going on.
Biden has made it personal – he wants to kill NS2.
Check gas volumes – NordStream2 is urgently required – no way Qatar of US LNG can possibly substitute. Voters are being forced to pay 4 TIMES that Russia offers – plain as daylight Heist. How long do you think voters will go along?
Germany is still hooked up to Nord Stream 1 … and paying Russia a boatload of Euros … every second of the day … cha-ching!! goes Putin’s cash register. Thanks Greenies !!
Gazprom and Exxon/Mobil are laughing all the way to the un-sanctioned banks. Poor voters meanwhile are brutally gauged.
Gouged, dear. I trust I gauged my response correctly?
This situation has been forty years in the making, enabled by the nativity of the Western powers, Western peoples and now the juvenile wokeness of ‘those who know nothing about everything’, apart from making themselves ‘thoroughly disruptive’, especially to the productive working classes, and themselves delusionally self-important.
Climate Change is but another fake delusion, as was Paris Accord, followed by COP 26.
The global climate has its own way of recognising change, in one area of activity, and taking care of that change in a manner suited to maintain a balanced global environment. These changes take time, as they have in the past. Setting false deadlines, to achieve the imaginary target (temperature, heat content, rainfall control, food consumption etc) are all beginning to see artificial goals (consumption, pollution control, energy availability etc) which will have major impacts on global societies, most of which are dependent on “being provided for” by ‘responsible’ governments, generally made up of self-interested parties, with long term personal aims. Others, which fail to be able to provide for the masses, are made up of those who can only see short term advantages, associated with power and, as always, money.
The drive to ‘diversify everything, regardless of the costs, has eroded the real identity of almost everything and everybody, and those alone enable massive changes, in attitudes and activities, that permit newfound ‘rights and revolutions’ to be prioritized, and increased political and religious uncertainties.
The result is that “nobody actually knows who they are, nor what they can say, or think, without being attacked, from many sides.
We need some level of control to be re-established, to keep people in line, doing what they are told to do, and when they can do it.
Xi and Vladimir Putin think they know how this can be achieved.
The West has given them room to believe they are right.
Sit back and watch.
Attack is the only form of Defence.
Climate Change is nothing but the West’s destruction of its own fossil fuel resource production. This obviously leaves the West dependent on the Middle East (OPEC) and Russia for energy. The climate scam thus directly benefits Russia, OPEC, and China in dimiishing the West’s economic and thus geopolitcal power. Russia needs the large inflows of western currency that high oil and gas prices bring to the Russian treasury. Thuis is what feuls Putin’s military aggression.
Putin wants Ukraine under Moscow’s control so it can direct where Ukrainian grain exports go in the coming years. Food scarcity has long been Russia main problem for the control, and thus political stability, of the Russian population.
Russia is the largest grain exporter right now. Poor Ukraine has been totally impoverished. It used to be the grain silo of the USSR, sadly now a shadow, Thanks to Obama’s ‘promises’ .
Also thanks to the sheer greed and corruption of Ukraine’s oligarchs, who would rather see their own people starve than miss out on a profit.
6uild 6ack 6etter … enjoy the decline. Hell, enjoy the decimation
Putin is essentially behaving like Hitler, so I’m not sure how else NATO or indeed the rest of the world is supposed to respond. Appeasement was a mistake then, and it would be today as well.
Calm down … wake me when Putin invades Poland … or Hungary. Oh! Wait! Those are politically conservative outcasts of the EU … NATO wouldn’t give a shit, would they?
Wakey wakey. The invasion has already started. Sure, it isn’t a full-scale one, yet, and it’s “only” in the separatist controlled region so far, but so what? It is still part of Ukraine, and it is a strategic move.
“conservative outcasts of the EU” The left will always let the leftist barbarians through the gate, they never have figured the left in the end eats it own.
Well, if NATO troops are not going into Ukraine to fight the Russians, then that leaves it up to the Ukrainians to do the fighting.
The Ukranians can’t last for long going toe to toe with the Russian military, but they can certainly mount a vigorous guerrilla war campaign, and that’s what they should threaten to do, and the West should say they are going to supply the Ukrainians with all the weapons and assistance they need.
Putin got bogged down in Ukraine the last time he attacked, and he will get bogged down again this time if he decides to take on the whole of the Ukraine.
The weak-kneed leaders in the West might allow Putin to keep the areas he is currently occupying in Ukraine without too much of a fight, other than ineffective sanctions, but if Putin moves into the rest of Ukraine then it will be a whole different ballgame.
The Ukranians are going to bleed you, Vladimir. Think about what you are doing.
Peacekeeping troops might move to the 2 new republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. See post above from someone who actually knows what he is talking about.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/02/23/the-worlds-dumbest-energy-policy-just-got-dumberthe-frightening-race-to-reset-by-world-war/#comment-3461028
Hitler wanted the Lebensraum of Ukrainian grain production and petroleum from the oil field of Ploiești Romania. Putin doesn’t need Ukrainian natural resources, but he does want Ukraine’s wheat and grains harvests.
Russia is the largest grain exporter right now. Poor Ukraine has been totally impoverished. It used to be the grain silo of the USSR, sadly now a shadow, Thanks to Obama’s ‘promises’ .
This is a ridiculously stupid post – probably sponsored by Vlad Putin. The only power that is racing to war is Vlad Putin – Trump’s hero and BFF who slobbered all over Putin’s warmaking yesterday in a media interview – par for the course for Trump.
In any case, the Nord Stream pipeline has never operated, so it cannot shut down and was not in any case going to be certified to open any time soon. Stupid Putin was warned, and he continued with his mindless warmaking.
All that the rest of the world can do is attempt to dissuade the Warmonger Putin from his warmongering. If he he persists, then the rest of the world, except for Putin’s other BFF Xi, will have to take whatever actions are necessary.
Everything NATO and Jao Bidinh are doing is resulting in massive increases in oil and gas prices. Have you checked the price of oil and Nat. gas recently? Putin is reaping a massive windfall €€€€ $$$$ thanks to the “tough guy” policies of our feckless leaders. Smiling all the way to the bank. Our leftist leaders are real geniuses
Yeah, because appeasement is the way to treat a Hitler wannabe. Moron.
Hitler wannabe…are we talking about Trudeau?
Hitler be … Trudeau
Thanks to Russia… or dare I say Putin.
Impeccable timing, of the Ruskis.
🙂
Yeah, of course, like when Putin and Russia completely failed to bend in appeasement to either Berry or Merky, and with not the smallest whim of warning or notification or cry out,went and took Crimea over night.
And that was it.
Don’t discount the benefit to Putin’s power from Biden’s green wet dream. If we had remained energy independent, Putin’s leverage would be mostly gone.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Biden’s dysfunctional administration wants war to both deflect from his continuous failings and to achieve his anti-science net zero goal that nuclear Armageddon would surely accomplish. Rational thinking isn’t something the Biden administration has embraced and destroying the planet to save it from CO2 emissions is consistent with his other policies that are destroying America to save us from conservative ideas.
I would be more inclined to believe Putin is blackmailing Biden into inaction.
The Russians did give Hunter Biden millions of dollars for some unknown reason. Perhaps Putin threatened to tell the world about those reasons. So Biden talks tough and does nothing,
Oil prices are going up because of the invasion. So it’s the fault of the west?
The stock market is crashing DAILY because of the THREAT of invasion … so it’s the fault of Bidinh’s constant harping about it?
me thinks Putin will be losing all his customers real soon
Oil and gas are a world marketplace … make a note of it. Putin has.
Your hatred of Trump has rotted your brain.
Nord Stream 2 has never operated.
Nord Stream has been operating for years.
Nord Stream 2 is completed, but waiting for the proper payoffs before being allowed to start operations.
Nordstream Numero Uno … cha-ching !! goes Putin’s cash register. The gas keeps flowing into Europe from Russia. And the oil and gas markets keep spiraling UP UP UP !! Way to go, tough-talking Kamallalalalalaa Harris !! Every stilted word you speak, then cackle … is spooking the markets and making Vlad richer. Corn Pop may have been vanquished by Bidinh’s tough guy act … but Putin is a much cooler customer. Bidinh’s puppeteers need to try something different, eh?
Funny if Trump was President do you really think this would be happing. Putin did not take Crimea when Bush was in power. the USSR muscled Carter and played him like a puppet also. Somehow walk quietly and carry a big stick evades the Dimms. Instead they stomp around with a straw.
Exactly, I remember Obama’s line in the sand.
The Dimms walk around wringing their hands.