Today is an absolute disaster—everything is loading at a snail's pace. The forum is struggling just to stay upright, making reading or even posting a total nightmare
"The refusal of G7 nations to settle gas payments in rubles is going to trigger a total shutdown of gas supplies across Europe," comes the warning from Russia, according to Reuters.
The European Union is rolling out a fresh set of sanctions against Russia—claiming they’re the most aggressive yet. Here’s the breakdown:
- A total ban on importing various steel products - No more new investments in the Russian energy sector—though there are some narrow exceptions for civilian nuclear power and transporting specific energy supplies back to the European Union - An embargo on exporting luxury goods (think high-end cars, jewelry, etc.) from the European Union - A freeze on credit rating agencies within the European Union being allowed to rate Russian entities or provide services to Russian clients—which should effectively cut off their access to European Union financial markets further.
The European Union is rolling out its fourth round of sanctions against Russia tomorrow.
"First off, we’re stripping Russia of its most-favored-nation status in our markets. This effectively wipes out those key perks they get through the WTO. Russian companies will no longer enjoy preferential treatment within our economies," stated Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU will "also push to suspend Russia's membership rights in major multilateral financial institutions—think the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. We’ll make sure Russia can't touch financing, loans, or any other benefits from these organizations."
"The bloc will also move to ensure the Russian state and its elites can't use crypto to dodge sanctions, while simultaneously banning the export of luxury goods from the EU to Russia," she added.
French President Emmanuel Macron noted that regarding this fourth package, "everything is on the table—nothing is off-limits"—suggesting that even banning Russian gas imports or cutting key banks like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America off from the SWIFT system remains a possibility.
Word is out that Putin has instructed his cabinet to draw up a definitive list of all the nations that have slapped sanctions on Russia—targeting its companies, organizations, and specific individuals alike.
So, how exactly does he plan to strike back this time?
Steven Newman50 said:The thread has been reopened. Per our recent agreement, we close threads for all movies that haven't hit theaters yet—basically, if they aren't watchable. Since this movie is officially out, discussion can resume.
A spokesperson for President Zelenskyy has indicated they’re open to discussing a ceasefire and peace talks with Russia--an interesting development, to say the least.