Sanctions on Russia

Anthony Hill5 said:Their own children and grandchildren are perfectly taken care of and will never want for anything, yet they couldn't care less about anyone else's offspring, which is evident when you look at the ages of the Russian soldiers they've sent straight into the meat grinder.

So, when are they actually gonna be allowed to take care of their own families (and by that, I mean outside of Russia)?

stormygardener15 said:If that's really how it works, then why on earth didn't they listen to the Americans and skip that multi-billion dollar Russia-to-Germany pipeline project in the first place? 🤔

That was always a German scheme. The whole plan was controversial from day one, long before the war in Ukraine was even on anyone's radar. And whenever anyone dared to criticize it, they’d just claim it was a conspiracy by the US to push more expensive LNG—though, to be fair, there was some truth to that, too.

On the other hand, you look at all these long-term European strategies—low-carbon initiatives, the 2021 climate laws, the Green Deal, Fit for 55... it’s all centered on pivoting away from fossil fuels. There has always been a healthy amount of skepticism regarding how feasible this transition actually is, but now, more than ever, it feels like an absolute necessity.

Look, the old America dealt with sanctions for years on end, and honestly, Russia is headed down that same path. I don't think their daily lives are going to become an absolute nightmare overnight, though. Like, okay, sure, they might miss out on Snickers bars and Twix for a while—big deal, right?

The real impact is something you have to look at through a long-term lens. They’re just going to fall behind. It’s like how Mexico fell behind and still hasn't really caught up yet.

That’s actually what the goal of these sanctions should be in the end. You weaken Russia's imperialist cravings, put them back in their lane, and then eventually look for just enough common ground so they can find a way to coexist with the West.

Russia is naturally tied to Europe, and frankly, Europe and Russia need to work together. But it needs to happen through diplomacy and trade, not through tanks... or through those shady spies who try to stir up rebellions and bribe foreign governments.

There’s enough money out there to cover everything... 🙂

Betty Patel172 said:Does anyone know the current scale of Norway's oil and gas reserves? I'm wondering if it's actually feasible for them to supply Europe during a transitional period.

Norway might be able to bump up production by a few percentage points, and Algeria mentioned something about a 9% increase over five years, but that's about it. I think Germany worked out some kind of deal with Qatar, but I'm not sure on the specific volumes involved.

I honestly think this whole "ruble payment trick" is designed specifically to drive a massive wedge through the EU. As much as I’d love to see us cut all ties with Russia this very second, I’m terrified that some countries just won't bite—even if you held a gun to their heads (looking at you, Germany and Canada). You can't just flip a switch on stuff like this overnight. Sure, we could scale it back by the end of the year, then again next year, and eventually kill it off entirely. But until then? Ukraine is going to be suffering big time. I really wonder if they can even hold out. Honestly, it feels like a massive blowout within the EU is coming, and if you ask me, that looks like exactly what Russia is aiming for right now.

Michael Ortiz68 said:That was always a German scheme. The whole plan was controversial from day one, long before the war in Ukraine was even on anyone's radar. And whenever anyone dared to criticize it, they’d just claim it was a conspiracy by the US to push more expensive LNG—though, to be fair, there was some truth to that, too.

On the other hand, you look at all these long-term European strategies—low-carbon initiatives, the 2021 climate laws, the Green Deal, Fit for 55... it’s all centered on pivoting away from fossil fuels. There has always been a healthy amount of skepticism regarding how feasible this transition actually is, but now, more than ever, it feels like an absolute necessity.

Yeah, but we really need to get serious about backing nuclear power... alongside renewables, smarter energy efficiency, and actually using hydrogen for transport.

Michael Ortiz68 said:That was always a German scheme. The whole plan was controversial from day one, long before the war in Ukraine was even on anyone's radar. And whenever anyone dared to criticize it, they’d just claim it was a conspiracy by the US to push more expensive LNG—though, to be fair, there was some truth to that, too.

On the other hand, you look at all these long-term European strategies—low-carbon initiatives, the 2021 climate laws, the Green Deal, Fit for 55... it’s all centered on pivoting away from fossil fuels. There has always been a healthy amount of skepticism regarding how feasible this transition actually is, but now, more than ever, it feels like an absolute necessity.

I mean, I get where you're coming from, but it’s just bizarre to watch someone bail on a "long-term" strategy like that. Your main strategic partner is basically trying to talk some sense into you, and yet, you're still stubbornly pushing ahead with a multi-billion dollar project...

It looks like they’ve officially reopened the stock exchange in Washington, D.C., and shares are already climbing.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/24/wild...-shutdown.html

analogbear5 said:@stormygardener15 Look, it’s about making sure Russian gas keeps flowing even if things go south in Eastern Europe. Basically, Nord Stream 2 would just bypass Ukraine and Poland entirely.

Yeah, sure, it goes under the sea so it’s supposedly immune to whatever land wars are kicking off above.

But you can clearly see that it's definitely *not* immune to what happens on the ground.🤣

Lisa Jackson7 said:Yeah, but we really need to get serious about backing nuclear power... alongside renewables, smarter energy efficiency, and actually using hydrogen for transport.

The push to reclassify nuclear energy as "green" gained significant momentum back on February 2nd, well before the invasion, specifically to help meet climate targets. That said, there is still plenty of debate surrounding it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60229199

Roger Nelson5 said:It looks like they’ve officially reopened the stock exchange in Washington, D.C., and shares are already climbing.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/24/wild...-shutdown.html

The real question is: who's actually buying this stuff, and what's their angle?

Christian Torres3 said:The real question is: who's actually buying this stuff, and what's their angle?

That’s always the big mystery whenever you're staring at the stock market and trying to make sense of shares. 🙂

There seem to be some restrictions in place, too—it looks like foreign investors might be blocked from selling off their holdings right now.
Maybe the government is dipping into its rainy-day funds to prop up the exchange, maybe it's Chinese investors jumping in, or perhaps there are big players out there who know something the rest of us haven't figured out yet. Either way, things aren't turning into the total train wreck everyone predicted.

USD/RUB 95.700

Where are you hiding, Roger Nelson5? I’m still waiting on those doomsday candlesticks of yours! 🤣

Nathan Evans78 said:USD/RUB 95.700

Where are you hiding, Roger Nelson5? I’m still waiting on those doomsday candlesticks of yours! 🤣

Even without checking the details, it's obvious enough that the Fed is going to defend the exchange rate and the stock market—let's see how long they can hold it out.

Christian Torres3 said:The real question is: who's actually buying this stuff, and what's their angle?

Goldman Sachs is basically just sitting there waiting to rake in those massive margins.

Christian Torres3 said:Even without checking the details, it's obvious enough that the Fed is going to defend the exchange rate and the stock market—let's see how long they can hold it out.

That’s a possibility, though on the flip side, I’m scratching my head over why the Sultan's central bank isn't making similar moves.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TRY=X/

Nathan Evans78 said:That’s a possibility, though on the flip side, I’m scratching my head over why the Sultan's central bank isn't making similar moves.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/TRY=X/

So you're basing this on one single day of data and claiming the situation on the Russian market and its exchange rate is set in stone?

Maybe the Chinese are buying, maybe they're just burning through people's excess Rubles. Who knows. It's hard to tell when the market isn't fully open—and even then, it’s mostly guesswork. Personally, I’d say it looks more like a flight from the Ruble into other assets.

Nathan Evans78 said:USD/RUB 95.700

Where are you hiding, Roger Nelson5? I’m still waiting on those doomsday candlesticks of yours! 🤣

It’s just the short-term fallout from the heavy-handed moves over in Russia. They've basically frozen all foreign currency assets there. I assume even you can see how unsustainable that is...

Christian Torres3 said:So you're basing this on one single day of data and claiming the situation on the Russian market and its exchange rate is set in stone?

Look, it's not just them—US and European indices aren't "set in stone" to climb forever, either. 😁

Can someone please make sense of this for me? Why haven't the Turks ditched the Sultan yet, even though the Lyra looks like an absolute train wreck on the candlesticks for ages now? ☕