Posts by Bryan Booth82

slyfox43 said:Maybe it’s the Russians, Assad (backed by Russia), Haftar (Russian influence), various Hezbollah groups (Iranian-backed), or the PMF (Iranian-backed), and maybe even Gaddafi (using Russian weaponry)?

Just give it a rest; you're shouting into the void, as nobody is buying that tired old line about millions of refugees fleeing from American bombs anymore.

Unfortunately, it seems like the same old tired mantra is always being chewed on by our neighbors to the east and the right wing across the entire country.
Lp

maminho said:The whole point for the Americans was to slap those sanctions on Russia just so they could pivot and sell their own oil and gas—stuff they basically looted from all over the Middle East.

Oh, absolutely! And because they’re clearly masters of deception, they just threw on Russian uniforms and started tearing through Ukraine to make sure everything goes according to plan.
Lp

Ronald Chavez2 said:When Americans bomb parts of the Middle East and trigger refugee crises that Europe ends up paying for and managing, can we honestly call that "cooperation," or is it just swallowing American policy whole? Shouldn't Europe focus on its own interests and stop acting like it needs to pick a master and swallow whoever's garbage—be it American, Russian, or anyone else's?

Listen, if you’re someone who actually feels like you're "swallowing crap," you aren't going to fix that feeling just by pretending we're all suddenly independent.
Lp

wiredseal7 said:So, Putin's defeated and his economy is trashed. Are we closing this thread or what?

Do you actually have any evidence to back that up? If you do, lay it out for me—I’d love to read it.
Lp

slyfox43 said:One thing doesn't preclude the other.

The EU can, and arguably should, ramp up its own investments in collective security.

The USA remains present, not as a subordinate, but as a formidable ally—and the feeling is mutual.

There are certainly those who preach about "emancipating themselves from US hegemony," but I am fairly certain you are miscategorizing Amanda Allen4. He is aiming for something else entirely (just as you are).

You completely misread me. I'm not throwing shade at anyone; I was simply reacting to the comment.
I hear it all the time, whether I'm reading or listening—especially from the right wing—this endless, repetitive mantra about the necessity of "independence," depending on whatever they're shouting about that day.
Sometimes it's the independence of a nation, sometimes a state, sometimes Europe—though it's rarely actually about the EU.

I was merely pointing out how this happens to be Putin's ultimate dream, specifically regarding Europe. Meanwhile, local sovereignists are busy indulging these wet dreams of national sovereignty and autonomy. Sure, their specific state might be smaller or less significant on the global stage, but that narrative carries more weight locally.

All I'm saying is, hypothetically, if we were ever... attacked again by Mexico, with Russia backing them... I would honestly be thrilled if 10,000 Marines joined forces with the US Army to defend us. In that first war, we were left to fend for ourselves without them.

It's the exact same way of thinking that the Germans and even the Poles approach things.
LP

Amanda Allen4 said:Read what I actually wrote.

I never once stated that cooperation between the USA and the EU isn't desirable—what I am saying is that the EU needs to step up and invest more in its own defense systems instead of constantly waiting for America to foot the bill.

How much larger is the EU than Russia? And how many times wealthier is it? Honestly, I don't see why defending Europe using its own resources should be such a massive struggle.

Why on earth wouldn't Europe defend itself if attacked? And what is the issue with the USA providing assistance in that process?
Furthermore, let’s get one thing straight: the USA doesn't just hand out cash to finance European defense.

Putin and his little puppets would love nothing more than to see every nation in Europe looking out for themselves, undermining NATO, and pushing the USA away.

But I don't see that happening. In fact, if anything, the bond between these allies is only going to tighten after all this, which aligns perfectly with what the vast majority of people in both the European Union and the USA actually want.
Lp

slyfox43 said:While the cooperation is certainly beneficial, certain aspects of it haven't been operating smoothly for quite some time. We are currently in a phase of revitalization, essentially refocusing on what truly matters most.

Look, perfection doesn't exist in any relationship, so why on earth would we expect it to be different between the European Union and the United States? The naive narrative suggesting that the United States dictates exactly how its allies in Europe or NATO should think and act is, frankly, quite ridiculous—if not outright stupid.

The truth is, the United States needs its allies just as much as the European Union does. That is an undeniable fact, and it's one that Putin bet against, only to end up looking completely foolish. The others have simply benefited from this, because it has proven to us back home just how vital we all are to one another.
In short, Putin got humbled twice.
Best regards

Amanda Allen4 said:It is high time the EU finally grew some backbone and started looking out for its own interests instead of just hiding behind the apron strings of America!

That is absolutely not the case—in fact, that’s exactly what Putin wants to hear.
If certain people want to interpret the partnership between the European Union and the USA through some cynical lens... well, frankly, that should be their own damn problem.
After Biden's speech in Washington, D.C., that psychopath in Moscow might actually hesitate before deciding whether he can get away with targeting Poland. But if that same speech had come from some European leader? He’d probably launch a missile just for the hell of it.
I don't see any issue with the cooperation between the European Union and the USA, despite what so many people in the European Union seem to think.
Best regards,

Dennis Price said:Putin makes a nuclear threat, then backs down. Threatens to cut off gas unless they pay in rubles, then walks it back. Next up, he’ll threaten to halt all gas deliveries—only to retreat from that, too. It's all pretty transparent.

Exactly. He spent months insisting he had no intention of invading Ukraine, and now suddenly he's "withdrawing forces" from the outskirts of Kyiv.
The guy is a pathological liar, and frankly, everyone sees right through him... except, of course, for those delusional little Russophiles who refuse to wake up.
Best,

Daniel Barnes53 said:Are you serious? I must have missed it, but I bet Russia will cave the second you give them an answer. 😁
I wonder how much they were pulling in daily from those gas deals. Honestly, I almost feel a little bad that they backed out.
Edit:
Back in 2021, energy was pretty much the biggest thing the European Union was pulling in from Russia. It actually made up about 62% of the entire region's imports, which I guess works out to roughly 99 billion euros—or about $107.87 billion if you're looking at the conversion. That's a massive chunk of change, just for context.

If my math is right, they're turning down about $1 billion a day—and $200 million of that alone comes just from Germany.
I feel the same way; for the first time, I found myself siding with the Tsar, and what a massive disappointment it turned out to be.
Best regards,

Daniel Barnes53 said: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.
☕

I don't know how much you've been following this, but one side just blinked. They finally folded.
Go ahead, take a guess which one.
Best,

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,

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,

Sam Alvarez4 said:For now.
At least until they hammer out the specifics and update the full list of products that actually require payment in rubles... 😬

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

wiredseal7 said:So, pragmatic Stern says America isn't part of the G7—and if buying gas in rubles is the only way to get it, then so be it. ☕

Lol, does he really think anyone asks this guy—who's basically just an appointee for the administration—what he thinks?

So, what exactly would Plenković need to do to prove he isn't just some subordinate?
He’d have to start doing the exact opposite of whatever the EU and NATO are dictating.🤔
And then people like you would immediately start screaming that he’s a Russian puppet, wouldn't they?

lp

Word on the street is that the "great leader" and military mastermind Putin has finally backed down on his demand to accept high-value Rubles for gas sales. Apparently, he’s decided to go back to taking that dirty, worthless cash like the Euro and the Dollar instead.

lp

Michael Ortiz68 said:Scholz pointed out that the contracts explicitly require payment in euros. Essentially, if Germany were to hypothetically pay for gas in rubles, even if they wanted to, it would technically constitute a breach of contract.

When pressed by reporters on making the declaration, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “the contracts we know lay down the euro as payment currency and the companies will pay according to the contracts they have signed.”

Exactly! And it’s not just about the contracts; it would also be a direct violation of the sanctions that have been put in place.
Because of that, paying in rubles was never even an option on the table.
It is painfully obvious how Putin is gambling here with incredibly high stakes, but given his track record for deception, lies, and manipulation, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he just suddenly went silent, acting as if nothing had ever happened at all.

Best,

There are whispers circulating that it could become a reality as soon as tomorrow: Putin might decide to cut off gas supplies to the West.🤔

On its face, this is absolutely fascinating. Why? Because by doing this, the Russians would essentially be choking off their own cash flow—which couldn't be more poorly timed given how desperately they need fresh capital right now amidst this war.
The West (specifically Germany) hadn't actually intended to make a political move to stop importing Russian gas, even if public opinion polls show that about 70% of the population is actually in favor of it.

We might just witness a scenario where the Russians (perhaps unconsciously🤔) pull the plug simply to satisfy Western public sentiment, acting in direct opposition to Western political strategy and, quite obviously, to their own detriment.🤔🤔

To me, this whole Russian "tactic" (if it even comes to that) is starting to look more and more like the old "if I'm going down, I'm taking as many people with me as possible" mentality. Isn't that just the ultimate proof that nothing in Russia is actually going according to plan?

Time will tell, and it will likely happen much faster than anyone expects.

Best regards,

rustywalker82 said:Look, a total cutoff of Russian gas is only going to happen if Russia pulls the trigger themselves (since the West doesn't have any rubles to play with). This wouldn't be some big move by Europe; it’d be a Russian move.
And honestly? Gas wouldn't get cheaper. It’d stay way more expensive than it was before the crisis or the war started. We'd still be importing from Russia because, let's face it, they're basically irreplaceable right now (plus, we'd be scrambling to fire up old coal or fuel oil plants that have been sitting cold for years).

There's just no easy way to swap out major suppliers—especially when you're looking at places halfway across the world—without both the old providers and the new ones, along with the logistics companies, hiking up their rates.

There are definitely ways to seriously cripple the Russian economy without all this nonsense about people shooting themselves in the foot (which would just cause a crash even harder than the one the Russians are facing).

Everything has a solution, especially if we start from the premise—the actual fact—that there is enough gas to go around.
First off, (setting Russia aside for a moment), the goal of oil and gas producers isn't necessarily to drive energy prices so high that they suffocate the economies of those who depend on their fuels.
The logic is straightforward: you want to make a healthy profit from production, which ensures you have a reliable customer for your energy.
If I slash my production and spike energy costs, you end up making less money, which means you have less capital available to buy my energy. It's basic math!

Specifically, Putin issues an order to stop supplying gas to the West (Germany is currently bracing for this exact scenario; their minister just officially declared an "emergency plan" today)... In theory, this could weaken the Western economy, leaving them with less cash to buy gas and oil from other producers, and even less money to buy processed goods from China.
China and the major global oil and gas producers (aside from Russia) aren't exactly thrilled with the Russian decision either. (Just like the West, Russia stands to lose here).

Possible solutions? Other producers who rely on selling gas and oil are ramping up production and working alongside the West to find ways to replace Russian gas, simply because they are worried about their own sales volume...
China, being a massive consumer of Russian gas, actually prefers that the West keeps buying products from them; weakening the Western economy is absolutely not in their interest.

No matter how you slice it, the big players... purely out of self-interest... are not on Russia's side. So, it is entirely possible that in the end, the Russians will be the only ones left holding the bag.

Best regards,

rustywalker82 said:We’ve got a bit of a headache situation with gas right now. See, any revenue Russia loses from cutting back their exports to the European Union could easily be offset by just cranking up the price for everyone else in Europe. Meanwhile, Ukraine is getting hit directly because they lose out on those transit fees, which are all about volume. Plus, if cutting ties with Russian gas leads to people burning way more coal to compensate...

By the way, if you want to see how messy the European energy crisis really is, just look at Poland. They've pulled in hundreds of billions in EU funds over the last fifteen years, yet they’re still relying on coal for about 40% of their total energy needs—and yeah, that includes transportation too. But honestly, it wouldn't have mattered much if the European Union had been smarter back when the USA, China, or Russia were being even more reckless about decarbonization.
Now we're dealing with wars on top of decarbonization... you can probably guess who's actually going to give a damn about that stuff...

The issue with the "problem" you've laid out is quite simple: Russia isn't the world's only gas producer, and those massive gas reserves aren't confined to Russian borders alone.
We could very well reach a point where the West stops buying Russian gas entirely—simply because they refuse to settle the bill in rubles. If that happens, Russia ends up sitting on a mountain of surplus gas, which China will undoubtedly notice. Once China steps in to undercut them, gas prices globally could actually plummet.

Isn't that exactly the kind of economic squeeze that helped bring down the USSR?

Best regards,