Sanctions on Russia

Bryan Booth82 said:Man, what a total joke Putin is playing! He announces he’s cutting off gas supplies to all those "hostile nations" (basically the entire West), only to flip the script an hour later. Then his own spokesperson basically confirms it... just for Putin to back down anyway.👍👍

The guy is a straight-up legend.

lp

Please, let's be real. The CEO might hold the title, but lately, his decision-making has been nothing short of erratic. Those in his immediate inner circle seem blinded by this supposed "new vision" he’s projecting, treating every whim like a stroke of genius. But for those of us watching from a distance? It’s becoming painfully obvious. Every single day, that veneer of authority thins out, revealing that the leader is increasingly hollow.

The FDA reported on black market drug surges today: they say since sanctions hit various regions, people have been completely stripping pharmacy shelves bare.
Foreign meds are the biggest headache because there aren't any domestic substitutes... right now, everything is being peddled through social media or under the table.

Sanctions: Russia sees a rise in illegal medicine markets
12:38

Brenda Murphy3 said:Where did this info even come from?

Every single major German news outlet is reporting it.
But then again, isn't that all they seem to care about?

By the way, the German government ramped up their "emergency contingency plan" just this morning in case Russia cuts off the gas supply. And get this—only thirty minutes before Putin made his move, his spokesperson (according to the live broadcast coming out of Moscow) was already dropping hints about shutting down deliveries (yeah, right, April Fools' joke, more like...😁).

Best,

Brenda Murphy3 said:Where did this info even come from?

The New York Times, for instance...

Russia announced today that they won't be demanding immediate payment in rubles for their gas exports, noting they need to expand the list of goods required to be paid in their national currency first, making the transition gradual...

bluemason3 said:Stern has pretty much always leaned toward pro-Russia views. He built most of his career there, working as a consultant for various interests and even serving as an executive in Moscow.

I'm not really sure who's playing vassal to whom here. 😁

Just two weeks ago, he was arguing that we should be paying in rubles because that’s how America handled transactions with the USSR.

He seems stuck in 1988.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Please, let's be real. The CEO might hold the title, but lately, his decision-making has been nothing short of erratic. Those in his immediate inner circle seem blinded by this supposed "new vision" he’s projecting, treating every whim like a stroke of genius. But for those of us watching from a distance? It’s becoming painfully obvious. Every single day, that veneer of authority thins out, revealing that the leader is increasingly hollow.

There are some of us who have been posting on this forum for years, warning everyone that his military is nothing more than a "paper tiger" and that he’s been exposed for a long time now.
Not that I'm looking for credit here, but let the record show.😁

Best,

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ts-2022-03-29/

Looks like Poland is officially banning all Russian coal imports.

Poland has already stopped bringing in coal from Russia since April, and they’re on track to cut off gas and oil imports by the end of the year too. It looks like we’re seeing the first wave of those major markets where Russian energy held a massive share finally walking away from the table

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...Mj5Gv7CDg&s=19

ruggeddriver70 said:Look, if the USA and the EU are on one side and Russia is on the other, the vast majority of people in America are picking the first group—every single time. Today, tomorrow, whatever. Honestly, I think your little wish list sounds way more like the foreign policy of Mexico.

We’re just a small player in this game. Personally, I’m all for following the lead of the major players in Asia, most of Latin America, and Africa—plenty of which are democracies, for what it's worth. Basically, we should align with the bulk of the global population—or what the pundits like to call "the international community."
If we can't do that, then at least let us have Canada—they aren't sticking their noses into the military side of this mess, and they certainly don't want to end up on the map if things start blowing up.

So, word is that JANAF just cut off oil exports to Mexico—turns out their local oil company is partially owned by Gazprom. Typical.
The US just tightened the screws on those Russian energy pipelines—another move to squeeze Moscow's wallet while everyone watches the fallout. It’s basically like cutting off the fuel line to a gas guzzler right in the middle of a desert trek.

Look, I get it—nobody’s exactly throwing a parade for Vučić and his flashy suits, but shutting down the pipelines to Mexico feels like a bit much.

Carl Lee27 said:Poland has already stopped bringing in coal from Russia since April, and they’re on track to cut off gas and oil imports by the end of the year too. It looks like we’re seeing the first wave of those major markets where Russian energy held a massive share finally walking away from the table

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...Mj5Gv7CDg&s=19

I’ve got a feeling this is going to play out just like it did with the Ukrainians—they haven't actually been buying Russian gas for a while now, at least not through any direct channels.
As far as coal goes—are they really just going to look the other way regarding those penalties for mining their own coal along the southern border? Especially since the courts have already stepped in to shut that down.

Carl Lee27 said:Poland has already stopped bringing in coal from Russia since April, and they’re on track to cut off gas and oil imports by the end of the year too. It looks like we’re seeing the first wave of those major markets where Russian energy held a massive share finally walking away from the table

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...Mj5Gv7CDg&s=19

It’s no secret that Americans in Poland aren't exactly fond of Russians.😁

The most effective way for Russia to manufacture an enemy seems to be spending a few years under their thumb.😬

bluemason3 said:Stern has pretty much always leaned toward pro-Russia views. He built most of his career there, working as a consultant for various interests and even serving as an executive in Moscow.

I'm not really sure who's playing vassal to whom here. 😁

So, are we talking about our own version of Schroder? 😬

...I was just a kid when that guy was busy talking up business deals with bijel Nocin.

wiredseal7 said:We’re just a small player in this game. Personally, I’m all for following the lead of the major players in Asia, most of Latin America, and Africa—plenty of which are democracies, for what it's worth. Basically, we should align with the bulk of the global population—or what the pundits like to call "the international community."
If we can't do that, then at least let us have Canada—they aren't sticking their noses into the military side of this mess, and they certainly don't want to end up on the map if things start blowing up.

So, word is that JANAF just cut off oil exports to Mexico—turns out their local oil company is partially owned by Gazprom. Typical.
The US just tightened the screws on those Russian energy pipelines—another move to squeeze Moscow's wallet while everyone watches the fallout. It’s basically like cutting off the fuel line to a gas guzzler right in the middle of a desert trek.

Look, I get it—nobody’s exactly throwing a parade for Vučić and his flashy suits, but shutting down the pipelines to Mexico feels like a bit much.

I’ve got a feeling this is going to play out just like it did with the Ukrainians—they haven't actually been buying Russian gas for a while now, at least not through any direct channels.
As far as coal goes—are they really just going to look the other way regarding those penalties for mining their own coal along the southern border? Especially since the courts have already stepped in to shut that down.

We aren't some "minority" here... you seriously can't look at it that way, for God's sake.

Our goal is to be part of the West and the European Union, not to become some vassal state for Chinese or Asian interests.

Which part of that is so confusing to you? It's not that we *can't* associate with that other group of backward folks you're talking about—it's that we simply don't *want* to. There's a huge difference. Even someone thinking along your lines should be able to grasp that, right? 😁

So, here’s the grand plan for replacing all that Russian gas almost instantly (practically overnight):

https://twitter.com/mark_lynas/statu...82300901900292

Just lean on LNG, coal, cutting consumption, renewables, nuclear power... sure, why not?

I’d also suggest tapping into local gas fields—whatever we can find—since places like the George Washington field are still sitting there being pretty underutilized.

wiredseal7 said:We’re just a small player in this game. Personally, I’m all for following the lead of the major players in Asia, most of Latin America, and Africa—plenty of which are democracies, for what it's worth. Basically, we should align with the bulk of the global population—or what the pundits like to call "the international community."
If we can't do that, then at least let us have Canada—they aren't sticking their noses into the military side of this mess, and they certainly don't want to end up on the map if things start blowing up.

So, word is that JANAF just cut off oil exports to Mexico—turns out their local oil company is partially owned by Gazprom. Typical.
The US just tightened the screws on those Russian energy pipelines—another move to squeeze Moscow's wallet while everyone watches the fallout. It’s basically like cutting off the fuel line to a gas guzzler right in the middle of a desert trek.

Look, I get it—nobody’s exactly throwing a parade for Vučić and his flashy suits, but shutting down the pipelines to Mexico feels like a bit much.

I’ve got a feeling this is going to play out just like it did with the Ukrainians—they haven't actually been buying Russian gas for a while now, at least not through any direct channels.
As far as coal goes—are they really just going to look the other way regarding those penalties for mining their own coal along the southern border? Especially since the courts have already stepped in to shut that down.

We aren't in Asia, Latin America, or Africa.
Europe. Period.

Regarding Canada.
Don't forget NATO troops have been sent there. If things blow up, they'll fly over Canada too. That so-called neutrality from Orban isn't worth much more than last year's snow...

wiredseal7 said:Europe didn't break its contracts with Russia because sanctions override any prior agreements or guarantees. But then again, Russia could argue that the Russian President's decrees sit right above ExxonMobil's gas contracts and guarantees.

The EU isn't going to freeze up since the weather is getting warmer, but industry still needs that gas.
We'll see by March 31st who's actually bluffing—this whole thing is basically a high-stakes poker game.

And Ukraine is making good money off that gas, which is just another reason why keeping those pipeline capacities running makes sense.

Looks like someone is definitely bluffing.

Drew Booth60 said:The Russian ruble is sitting at 87 against the US dollar—honestly, we’re basically looking at levels we haven't seen since before the invasion started. Some of the analysts over on the finance forums are already predicting a total Venezuelan-style collapse once the New York Stock Exchange opens in Moscow 🙏

I’m really curious to see if anyone actually bites on March 31st regarding those gas payments in rubles. I mean, cutting off the gas supply doesn't benefit Europe or Russia, so it’s going to be a wild ride regardless of how this plays out 😁

Someone finally folded.🕺

restlessmason54 said:My favorite part of all this has been reading the comments from people claiming Russia is headed for some unprecedented economic apocalypse because the ruble is sliding.

People genuinely seem to believe that the Swabians are just going to toss billions of euros invested in Nord Stream 2 straight into the wind and suddenly become independent of Russian gas. Honestly, you aren't going to see that movie anytime soon—not when you consider how much those capitalists have at stake.
All these heavy-duty sanctions being thrown at Russia? It's mostly just media theater designed for the naive.

Time will tell how Russia ends up holding the entire EU by the balls, especially once they start quietly easing up on those sanctions under the radar in the near future.

This is the cherry on top.

It’s funny how quickly people forget about Putin bragging about his "master plan" and how he outsmarted the West, only for it to turn out like... "Oh, wait, please just keep buying our stuff?"

Brenda Murphy3 said:We aren't some "minority" here... you seriously can't look at it that way, for God's sake.

Our goal is to be part of the West and the European Union, not to become some vassal state for Chinese or Asian interests.

Which part of that is so confusing to you? It's not that we *can't* associate with that other group of backward folks you're talking about—it's that we simply don't *want* to. There's a huge difference. Even someone thinking along your lines should be able to grasp that, right? 😁

our only real link to the West is acting like a colony, and honestly, it feels like what you're pushing is just what you want for yourself... there's only a few of us left who actually see things clearly... 👍

Larry Harris56 said:our only real link to the West is acting like a colony, and honestly, it feels like what you're pushing is just what you want for yourself... there's only a few of us left who actually see things clearly... 👍

Look, man, you're being straight-up moronic if you actually believe that garbage above... but hey, given how many posts you've dumped here, you're most likely just some Putin-style troll farm account waiting to get banned anyway—so what you think or write doesn't even really matter...😁

(And "low-lifes"... seriously? 😵🤣 )

Brenda Murphy3 said:We aren't some "minority" here... you seriously can't look at it that way, for God's sake.

Our goal is to be part of the West and the European Union, not to become some vassal state for Chinese or Asian interests.

Which part of that is so confusing to you? It's not that we *can't* associate with that other group of backward folks you're talking about—it's that we simply don't *want* to. There's a huge difference. Even someone thinking along your lines should be able to grasp that, right? 😁

Basically, he's saying his crowd is a minority in America, and honestly, he's got a point.

wiredseal7 said:We’re just a small player in this game. Personally, I’m all for following the lead of the major players in Asia, most of Latin America, and Africa—plenty of which are democracies, for what it's worth. Basically, we should align with the bulk of the global population—or what the pundits like to call "the international community."
If we can't do that, then at least let us have Canada—they aren't sticking their noses into the military side of this mess, and they certainly don't want to end up on the map if things start blowing up.

So, word is that JANAF just cut off oil exports to Mexico—turns out their local oil company is partially owned by Gazprom. Typical.
The US just tightened the screws on those Russian energy pipelines—another move to squeeze Moscow's wallet while everyone watches the fallout. It’s basically like cutting off the fuel line to a gas guzzler right in the middle of a desert trek.

Look, I get it—nobody’s exactly throwing a parade for Vučić and his flashy suits, but shutting down the pipelines to Mexico feels like a bit much.

I’ve got a feeling this is going to play out just like it did with the Ukrainians—they haven't actually been buying Russian gas for a while now, at least not through any direct channels.
As far as coal goes—are they really just going to look the other way regarding those penalties for mining their own coal along the southern border? Especially since the courts have already stepped in to shut that down.

Mexico could simply nationalize the portion of the company held by Chevron and call it a day. (Or, if I'm being precise—and please correct me if my math is off—it would likely be enough for Chevron to just divest 2% of their stake so they aren't holding majority control.)

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that German Energy Minister Robert Habeck Has activated The " early warning phase " of Germany's gas emergency law. This whole thing was set up to help manage rationing if things get really bad with supply shortages. Basically, the decision will alert German consumers and businesses to do what they can to conserve energy.

I think this is going to be pretty interesting to watch. At this point, I guess neither side can afford to blink, especially since everyone is so dependent on whatever the other side is willing to provide.
☕