Sanctions on Russia

Amanda Allen4 said:As the old saying goes, "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

Aside from the market volatility, he'll be the death of you.

casualtiger2 said:Aside from the market volatility, he'll be the death of you.

🤣 😂

Please, let's not have those clueless journalists sounding the alarm about some massive catastrophe in Africa again. They sailed right through the last major health crisis without much more trouble than a developed area in Northern Italy, and honestly, things will likely be just as manageable even if there's a grain shortage.

But we actually have a situation brewing right here in a neighboring NATO country:

Massive protests have erupted in Albania due to fears of blackouts and food shortages. This former communist nation is becoming one of the first to buckle under the economic fallout from the devastating war in Ukraine, and the lingering effects of the pandemic measures certainly didn't help matters either. Gas prices are currently the highest in Europe, hitting 2.07 euros per liter, and they’re climbing every single day in one of the poorest countries on the continent—especially considering the minimum wage is only 248 euros a month.

Nathan Evans78 said:Please, let's not have those clueless journalists sounding the alarm about some massive catastrophe in Africa again. They sailed right through the last major health crisis without much more trouble than a developed area in Northern Italy, and honestly, things will likely be just as manageable even if there's a grain shortage.

But we actually have a situation brewing right here in a neighboring NATO country:

Massive protests have erupted in Albania due to fears of blackouts and food shortages. This former communist nation is becoming one of the first to buckle under the economic fallout from the devastating war in Ukraine, and the lingering effects of the pandemic measures certainly didn't help matters either. Gas prices are currently the highest in Europe, hitting 2.07 euros per liter, and they’re climbing every single day in one of the poorest countries on the continent—especially considering the minimum wage is only 248 euros a month.

Yeah, sure. Let them just live off cookies then.

Peter Ruiz2 said:Russia is actually one of those rare countries that exports more than it imports, and this whole mantra about them being solely dependent on raw material exports is honestly a joke. Sure, sanctions hit them. They made it hard to get the tech components needed for their industry, but nothing that would actually shake them to the core. Americans have kept Cuba under an economic blockade for sixty years, and you don't see people starving there, do you? Cubans even managed to develop their own vaccine while the European Union couldn't even figure out how to make masks. As for factories closing—where exactly do you live that makes you think what's happening in the EU is some distant reality? Factories are shuttering in Germany right now; workers are getting laid off or sent back to "short-time" work like during the pandemic (which, by the way, hasn't really ended). But this time, it's not because of a virus. Like I said, Russians are used to sanctions; they play the long game. They aren't living hand-to-mouth like we are, where our biggest tragedy yesterday was an Amazon package arriving late.

We're living in a version of the EU where the German Chancellor is openly calling for everyone to "freeze ourselves in protest against Putin." Newsflash: he and the rest of these sanction-obsessed elites aren't actually going to freeze or shop in half-empty grocery stores. It’s not just gas and oil we’re talking about; it’s grain and fertilizer that the EU mostly imported from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This level of shortsightedness from Western political elites is just unprecedented.

If that's the case, why are you even in Austria then, suffering through this decaying West?🙂

Peter Ruiz2 said:Russia is actually one of those rare countries that exports more than it imports, and this whole mantra about them being solely dependent on raw material exports is honestly a joke. Sure, sanctions hit them. They made it hard to get the tech components needed for their industry, but nothing that would actually shake them to the core. Americans have kept Cuba under an economic blockade for sixty years, and you don't see people starving there, do you? Cubans even managed to develop their own vaccine while the European Union couldn't even figure out how to make masks. As for factories closing—where exactly do you live that makes you think what's happening in the EU is some distant reality? Factories are shuttering in Germany right now; workers are getting laid off or sent back to "short-time" work like during the pandemic (which, by the way, hasn't really ended). But this time, it's not because of a virus. Like I said, Russians are used to sanctions; they play the long game. They aren't living hand-to-mouth like we are, where our biggest tragedy yesterday was an Amazon package arriving late.

We're living in a version of the EU where the German Chancellor is openly calling for everyone to "freeze ourselves in protest against Putin." Newsflash: he and the rest of these sanction-obsessed elites aren't actually going to freeze or shop in half-empty grocery stores. It’s not just gas and oil we’re talking about; it’s grain and fertilizer that the EU mostly imported from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This level of shortsightedness from Western political elites is just unprecedented.

Cuba serves as a perfect example of how much damage sanctions can inflict when paired with certain political leadership. On paper, everything looks fine, but in practice... As long as the leaders and their most loyal subordinates have everything they need, the rest doesn't matter.

When nobody wants to touch the Ruble, we'll just take Bitcoin instead. Honestly, I'll take whatever you've got if it means I can move some oil off my hands. 🕺

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/europe/top...?ocid=msedgntp

Peter Ruiz2 said:A $300 billion heist? That’s unheard of. I mean, the Americans actually paid out the reserves of Nazi Germany. First, they went after the Iranians, though they ended up returning their money back in 2012. Then there was the whole mess with Venezuelan gold being snatched from the Federal Reserve, naturally on orders from Washington. Now, look at the Afghan reserves—money that’s desperately needed just to stop one of the worst humanitarian disasters happening right now. But none of that compares to what they did to the Russians. All those shady moves are already starting to boomerang. The European Union can't function without Russian gas, and it finally happened: it’s time to pay up in rubles or start shivering by your own fireplace, folks. The EU is hitting closed doors everywhere. They got brushed off by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and the Americans shut down Venezuela. Europe doesn't need Russia because they have plenty of buyers in East and South Asia. But the EU? Without Russian gas and raw materials, they’re economically dead in the water. If de Gaulle and Willy Brandt crawled out of their graves and saw the idiots running the EU today, they’d go right back under.

Meanwhile, the Western media is still busy celebrating, predicting the total collapse of the Russian economy and their military campaign in Ukraine—which is supposedly just a matter of days away. They keep publishing these heroic fairy tales about Ukrainian supermen smashing through 1,000 Russians every single day. We'll see how much of that holds up next winter. And here’s the kicker: despite everything, Russia is still pumping gas into the EU and through Ukraine without interruption. What kind of war is this, where you keep supplying your enemy with the very resources they use to resist you? 😁

While the Americans are busy looting other nations—because, as you put it, this isn't just an attack on Putin or his inner circle, but on the Russian people themselves—the Russians are still honoring every single contract, delivering exactly what was agreed upon and paid for. In the world of diplomacy, you can't get anywhere without negotiations and deals. But personally? After seeing this, I wouldn't shake hands with an American president again, even if Kennedy himself rose from the grave.

Even a Russian deputy prime minister like Aleksandar Novak doesn't buy this, publicly stating that the European Union will be reliant on Russian gas for another five years. Those five years are going to be grueling, but we'll see where the European Union stands then compared to where Russia is positioned.

now you're all going to be paying in rubles, gentlemen

You conveniently missed the part where European Union nations already rejected that. It was so inevitable that they shut it down in a single day.☕

The European Union has run into closed doors everywhere. They got brushed off by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, and even the Americans were rebuffed by Venezuela

Could you perhaps provide some actual documentation for that? Because what you're describing isn't just false; it sounds more like some pro-Russian pipe dream.

If I’m not totally tripping, Algeria is gonna start pumping more gas—it’ll take a minute to get moving, but hey, it’s something. Qatar already struck a deal with Germany, and apparently, Biden pulled some strings with Venezuela too. At first, the UAE was being super stubborn about cranking up oil production, but I heard some rumors they might be softening their stance (not 100% sure on that part, though)... so honestly, it’s not like anyone was being a total jerk about this.

analogbear5 said:Yeah, sure. Let them just live off cookies then.

Honestly, if things get desperate, the European Union will step up with grain shipments just like they did when they helped out with the vaccine IP issues. ☕

Arthur Miller7 said:If I’m not totally tripping, Algeria is gonna start pumping more gas—it’ll take a minute to get moving, but hey, it’s something. Qatar already struck a deal with Germany, and apparently, Biden pulled some strings with Venezuela too. At first, the UAE was being super stubborn about cranking up oil production, but I heard some rumors they might be softening their stance (not 100% sure on that part, though)... so honestly, it’s not like anyone was being a total jerk about this.

But then again, that's just what you hear from the MSM. Just a few days ago, the UAE placed an order for Chinese airplanes instead of American ones, so I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around the strategy these Gulf monarchies are playing. In my view, it actually makes more sense for them to scale back production and enjoy higher prices rather than pouring money into infrastructure while watching Europeans pivot en masse toward EVs and heat pumps. You have to assume the folks in the Middle East have read the EU's "Fit for 55" plan more closely than the Europeans themselves have!🤣

"Odjebausa" isn't happening, whether we're talking about Qatar, Algeria, or Venezuela. That's just nothing more than some Putinophile's fever dream.

The only real hurdle is the capacity required to replace what Russia provides. Eventually, that gap closes as the world moves away from gas as a primary energy source altogether. Even the Russian Prime Minister's right-hand man seems to think so, though I'm sure the local Putin enthusiasts here feel they have a better handle on the situation.

Nathan Evans78 said:But then again, that's just what you hear from the MSM. Just a few days ago, the UAE placed an order for Chinese airplanes instead of American ones, so I’m honestly struggling to wrap my head around the strategy these Gulf monarchies are playing. In my view, it actually makes more sense for them to scale back production and enjoy higher prices rather than pouring money into infrastructure while watching Europeans pivot en masse toward EVs and heat pumps. You have to assume the folks in the Middle East have read the EU's "Fit for 55" plan more closely than the Europeans themselves have!🤣

The UAE has basically been at odds with the US since back in 2017, specifically when Washington refused to sell them those loitering munitions they needed for the fight against the Houthis. Even when things came up regarding the F-35, it was just total madness—there were so many strings attached to how they’d actually be allowed to use them if they ever even got their hands on them. Honestly, it makes sense why the UAE and Saudi Arabia are being so cautious and keeping their distance from this whole Ukraine situation. They're pretty much nursing a grudge because the US hasn't stepped up to support their military operations in Yemen.

Robert Barrett6 said:Laughable mantra.🤣


https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/countries/186/export-basket

Top 10 things Rusiaj exports:

Mineral fuels including oil: US$211.5 billion (43% of total exports)
Gems, precious metals: $31.6 billion (6.4%)
Iron, steel: $28.9 billion (5.9%)
Fertilizers: $12.5 billion (2.5%)
Wood: $11.7 billion (2.4%)
Machinery including computers: $10.7 billion (2.2%)
Cereals: $9.1 billion (1.9%)
Aluminum: $8.8 billion (1.8%)
Ores, slag, ash: $7.4 billion (1.5%)
Plastics, plastic articles: $6.2 billion (1.3%)

Raw materials make up over 60% total; unprocessed goods account for about 40%.

As for grain and cereals, we've already been through this. The European Union is the largest producer overall, and Russian grain probably only made up a tiny fraction of the EU market. They were shipping it to Egypt, India, the Middle East—and it's going to get intense there, too, much like in Africa.

But it doesn't matter. They’re used to hunger. It’ll just make them tougher.🙄.

European Union grain

And which factories are they closing in Germany? 🍿

Technological giant 🙏 ...if you ask me, this export structure looks even more lopsided than it did during the late USSR era.

Michael Ortiz68 said:Even a Russian deputy prime minister like Aleksandar Novak doesn't buy this, publicly stating that the European Union will be reliant on Russian gas for another five years. Those five years are going to be grueling, but we'll see where the European Union stands then compared to where Russia is positioned.

now you're all going to be paying in rubles, gentlemen

You conveniently missed the part where European Union nations already rejected that. It was so inevitable that they shut it down in a single day.☕

The European Union has run into closed doors everywhere. They got brushed off by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, and even the Americans were rebuffed by Venezuela

Could you perhaps provide some actual documentation for that? Because what you're describing isn't just false; it sounds more like some pro-Russian pipe dream.

True, but it won't be a sudden drop to zero—it'll be more of a gradual decline every year. I'd bet money that by 2023, usage will already be 30% lower than it was before the crisis...

"It’s 'STUPID' to think Western sanctions against Russian companies would actually move the needle with the administration in Moscow," claimed former Russian President and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev."
*
"Sure, you can be unhappy with certain government decisions or criticize the leadership—that's perfectly fine. But you don't turn against the state during a crisis like this. That's just treason," he argued."

Look, maybe they don't hit the Government directly where it hurts, but unfortunately, they hit the citizens hard—both the ones backing the regime and the ones who don't. And eventually, that pressure trickles up. It always does.
*
I really have to wonder, though... who gets to decide the line between criticism of the government and opposing it?

Michael Ortiz68 said:Even a Russian deputy prime minister like Aleksandar Novak doesn't buy this, publicly stating that the European Union will be reliant on Russian gas for another five years. Those five years are going to be grueling, but we'll see where the European Union stands then compared to where Russia is positioned.

now you're all going to be paying in rubles, gentlemen

You conveniently missed the part where European Union nations already rejected that. It was so inevitable that they shut it down in a single day.☕

The European Union has run into closed doors everywhere. They got brushed off by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, and even the Americans were rebuffed by Venezuela

Could you perhaps provide some actual documentation for that? Because what you're describing isn't just false; it sounds more like some pro-Russian pipe dream.

This could trigger a complete overhaul of the economic and environmental landscape across the European Union.
I’m convinced that scientists are already going all out, working around the clock to hunt down some fresh solutions.
Maybe they’ll run out. If that happens, they can just go ahead and starve.

Peter Ruiz2 said:Russia is actually one of those rare countries that exports more than it imports, and this whole mantra about them being solely dependent on raw material exports is honestly a joke. Sure, sanctions hit them. They made it hard to get the tech components needed for their industry, but nothing that would actually shake them to the core. Americans have kept Cuba under an economic blockade for sixty years, and you don't see people starving there, do you? Cubans even managed to develop their own vaccine while the European Union couldn't even figure out how to make masks. As for factories closing—where exactly do you live that makes you think what's happening in the EU is some distant reality? Factories are shuttering in Germany right now; workers are getting laid off or sent back to "short-time" work like during the pandemic (which, by the way, hasn't really ended). But this time, it's not because of a virus. Like I said, Russians are used to sanctions; they play the long game. They aren't living hand-to-mouth like we are, where our biggest tragedy yesterday was an Amazon package arriving late.

We're living in a version of the EU where the German Chancellor is openly calling for everyone to "freeze ourselves in protest against Putin." Newsflash: he and the rest of these sanction-obsessed elites aren't actually going to freeze or shop in half-empty grocery stores. It’s not just gas and oil we’re talking about; it’s grain and fertilizer that the EU mostly imported from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. This level of shortsightedness from Western political elites is just unprecedented.

And it's happening here in the States, too. Saw a news segment yesterday where the leadership was basically threatening neighbors with sanctions over their neutrality regarding Russia (they didn't say it outright, but the subtext was loud and clear).

It’s a joke—threatening anyone who refuses to pick a side in a conflict. I can't even support my own government on this. This long-standing policy is exactly why the rest of the world—mostly America until recently—is starting to look at us with pure contempt. Lately, even that polished European Union facade has started to slip. You could see it coming with how they handled Syria and Venezuela, where everything was just dictated by the big boss via sanctions and whatnot.

Maybe someone should remind the administration that we weren't immune to this kind of pressure a decade ago. ExxonMobil took a massive hit back when they were forced to follow those Syria sanctions in 2012—back when we were still trying to find our footing globally and didn't have much leverage.

Habeck, the German Minister for Economic Affairs, is making some bold claims according to reports from the German press... he’s suggesting that Germany will finally break its reliance on Russian coal by early summer, move away from Russian oil by the end of the summer, and completely cut ties with Russian gas by sometime in 2024.

The big question remains: does Putin actually have the stones to double down on demanding energy payments in rubles? If he does, he might just end up fast-tracking the entire process of cutting off his own lifeline to the West.

lp

Bryan Booth82 said:Habeck, the German Minister for Economic Affairs, is making some bold claims according to reports from the German press... he’s suggesting that Germany will finally break its reliance on Russian coal by early summer, move away from Russian oil by the end of the summer, and completely cut ties with Russian gas by sometime in 2024.

The big question remains: does Putin actually have the stones to double down on demanding energy payments in rubles? If he does, he might just end up fast-tracking the entire process of cutting off his own lifeline to the West.

lp

It took an actual war for them to wake up.
The Germans are an absolute embarrassment.