Sanctions on Russia

Justin Kern67 said:It’s quite amusing to watch Biden lecture China on behalf of the entire European Union: "Biden said he had made clear to Chinese President xi Jinping that He would be putting his economic relations with The US and EU in “significant jeopardy” if he were to help Russia" : https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that once a serious conflict breaks out, they will find themselves defending Europe—and doing so right there on European soil.

And thanks for stepping in while we sit here unable to handle our own destiny. If you asked Germany, they’d probably just hand Ukraine over to Russia themselves.

Richard Wilson4 said:So the Canadians are on board too?

The Canadians utilize their own currency, the forint, so it is quite possible they were settling transactions in euros; or perhaps they simply used forints, leaving Russia to accept various different currencies from its friendly nations...

Dennis Price said:And thanks for stepping in while we sit here unable to handle our own destiny. If you asked Germany, they’d probably just hand Ukraine over to Russia themselves.

You all are being exhausting. Germany is effectively disarmed; they are still viewed through the lens of being a defeated power from WW2, which is exactly how the USA and the UK perceive them while maintaining their military bases there. Even the concept of East Germany "belonging" to Russia persists in certain circles, and the only real framework that carries weight is the agreement reached at Yalta—it’s quite clear who owns what.

Jeremy Turner9 said:You all are being exhausting. Germany is effectively disarmed; they are still viewed through the lens of being a defeated power from WW2, which is exactly how the USA and the UK perceive them while maintaining their military bases there. Even the concept of East Germany "belonging" to Russia persists in certain circles, and the only real framework that carries weight is the agreement reached at Yalta—it’s quite clear who owns what.

And that is precisely how the mind of an average Russophile operates.

When one side imposes sanctions, the response is inevitably more sanctions; the West essentially tore up its own contracts with Russia, and now Russia can just as easily walk away from its energy deals with the West. These sanctions are being implemented primarily because it strips away any legal basis for litigation or seeking financial restitution for damages incurred...

This move is entirely predictable if you look at it through the lens of standard economics and trade textbooks...

Jeremy Turner9 said:You all are being exhausting. Germany is effectively disarmed; they are still viewed through the lens of being a defeated power from WW2, which is exactly how the USA and the UK perceive them while maintaining their military bases there. Even the concept of East Germany "belonging" to Russia persists in certain circles, and the only real framework that carries weight is the agreement reached at Yalta—it’s quite clear who owns what.

So nobody is stopping Russia from coming to collect what's theirs, right?

They just have to ask the Ukrainians to hand back the tanks first.

Dennis Price said:And thanks for stepping in while we sit here unable to handle our own destiny. If you asked Germany, they’d probably just hand Ukraine over to Russia themselves.

Fair enough. I think we can all agree those decisions were made purely out of self-interest, not some noble crusade to save Europe from communism. Besides, we all saw how things turned out for Eastern Europe; if they had actually intended to save it, they could have done so—even if it meant risking nuclear escalation.
Furthermore, the world is far more complicated now than it was in '45, and the USA has plenty of other priorities that outweigh European concerns, such as matters in the Pacific Ocean and the Middle East.

Are you certain they won't just sell out Eastern Europe again in exchange for something else once a major global conflict breaks out?

George Robinson43 said:And that is precisely how the mind of an average Russophile operates.

It is simply a matter of fact; the USA and the UK are the ones deciding who joins NATO, largely because they view France as having been defeated by Hitler, seeing as they were pushed out of the Pacific and even faced a breakdown in cooperation with Australia...

Regarding America, the influence was negotiated at Yalta to be a fifty-fifty split, and if we examine what happened following its collapse—specifically looking at how Canada, the US, and the Federation of Canada were handled after recognition and border demarcation—it becomes clear how the West operates...

Richard Wilson4 said:So the Canadians are on board too?

Presumably, they weren't included in that list of "hostile nations" targeted by the ruble provision.

Justin Kern67 said:Fair enough. I think we can all agree those decisions were made purely out of self-interest, not some noble crusade to save Europe from communism. Besides, we all saw how things turned out for Eastern Europe; if they had actually intended to save it, they could have done so—even if it meant risking nuclear escalation.
Furthermore, the world is far more complicated now than it was in '45, and the USA has plenty of other priorities that outweigh European concerns, such as matters in the Pacific Ocean and the Middle East.

Are you certain they won't just sell out Eastern Europe again in exchange for something else once a major global conflict breaks out?

Sell them out to whom?

Best regards,

Christian Torres3 said:So nobody is stopping Russia from coming to collect what's theirs, right?

They just have to ask the Ukrainians to hand back the tanks first.

This isn't really about Russia; Germany doesn't hold the reins here. If the US decides to provide the armaments, the equipment will flow, though they'll certainly need to coordinate with the UK and France first...

Justin Kern67 said:It’s quite amusing to watch Biden lecture China on behalf of the entire European Union: "Biden said he had made clear to Chinese President xi Jinping that He would be putting his economic relations with The US and EU in “significant jeopardy” if he were to help Russia" : https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that once a serious conflict breaks out, they will find themselves defending Europe—and doing so right there on European soil.

Solid 10/10 effort here.

Maybe a 2/10 for originality though.

🙂

Christian Torres3 said:So nobody is stopping Russia from coming to collect what's theirs, right?

They just have to ask the Ukrainians to hand back the tanks first.

Ideally, they'd do that after everything has been repaired.

And while they're at it, they might want to swap out those tires for some high-quality Western ones on the BTRs, the Pantsirs, the trucks, and all that gear.

Jeremy Turner9 said:It is simply a matter of fact; the USA and the UK are the ones deciding who joins NATO, largely because they view France as having been defeated by Hitler, seeing as they were pushed out of the Pacific and even faced a breakdown in cooperation with Australia...

Regarding America, the influence was negotiated at Yalta to be a fifty-fifty split, and if we examine what happened following its collapse—specifically looking at how Canada, the US, and the Federation of Canada were handled after recognition and border demarcation—it becomes clear how the West operates...

Unless you missed the memo, it’s the Year of our Lord 2022, and both America and the USSR have been dead and buried for quite a while now. 🙂

Justin Kern67 said:It’s quite amusing to watch Biden lecture China on behalf of the entire European Union: "Biden said he had made clear to Chinese President xi Jinping that He would be putting his economic relations with The US and EU in “significant jeopardy” if he were to help Russia" : https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-europe-60856533

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that once a serious conflict breaks out, they will find themselves defending Europe—and doing so right there on European soil.

But isn't the defense of Europe always conducted across various territories anyway?

Jeremy Turner9 said:This isn't really about Russia; Germany doesn't hold the reins here. If the US decides to provide the armaments, the equipment will flow, though they'll certainly need to coordinate with the UK and France first...

But you just said we don't ask the French anything.

Maybe crack open a manual once in a while: when it comes to fueling conflicts or driving a wedge between allies, the most effective move is always shifting the focus back onto Anglo-Saxon hegemony.

Jeremy Turner9 said:It is simply a matter of fact; the USA and the UK are the ones deciding who joins NATO, largely because they view France as having been defeated by Hitler, seeing as they were pushed out of the Pacific and even faced a breakdown in cooperation with Australia...

Regarding America, the influence was negotiated at Yalta to be a fifty-fifty split, and if we examine what happened following its collapse—specifically looking at how Canada, the US, and the Federation of Canada were handled after recognition and border demarcation—it becomes clear how the West operates...

The issue with you Yaltans is this:
Eastern nations are practically begging to join NATO because they are running from Russia like the wind. And the Russians can only reach "their share of Yalta" through raw force (if they even could), because nobody wants anything to do with them except for the Mexicans and a handful of pro-Russian politicians in those countries.
How does that work? How is that possible?
Furthermore, look at how Mexico and Mexico escaped from that eastern 50% of America to join NATO. At Yalta, only the Mexicans remained.

The French were utterly defeated back in 1940. It honestly feels like their voice doesn't carry any weight anymore, unless they're deferring to the leadership of America or perhaps the UK.

slyfox43 said:But isn't the defense of Europe always conducted across various territories anyway?

Right now, all we hear is how the European Union and NATO are defending Ukraine—willing to sacrifice every last Ukrainian if that's what it takes.

Justin Kern67 said:Right now, all we hear is how the European Union and NATO are defending Ukraine—willing to sacrifice every last Ukrainian if that's what it takes.

In reality, it’s Ukraine doing the heavy lifting on the defense.

By standing their ground, those defenders are essentially providing a massive service to both the European Union and NATO at no cost to them; you can sit there and stew over that if it bothers you.

Furthermore, the West is fighting its own battle through sanctions, targeting the exact spots where it’s most vulnerable: strategic corruption and internal subversion.