Sanctions on Russia

Some people are actually out here pushing for an oil embargo.

Honestly, it looks like some lunatic has completely lost their grip on reality.

Linda Collins3 said:I’m watching the news here in the States, and everyone is tearing into Canada because they’re blocking those oil sanctions. They keep saying it's "destroying European Union unity."

Fine then, why don't they just slap sanctions on Russian gas too?

Oh wait... they can't do that, because it would absolutely wreck the German economy. But ruining Canada? That’s totally on the table.
And honestly, if Viktor Orbán plays along, he might even lose the next election once the Canadian economy tanks—killing two birds with one stone. Great plan!

If only Viktor Orbán were actually that stupid...

Here’s how the other side sees it, unlike Orbán:
Our glorious leader Borrell stated that the Canadians are being practical, explaining things from an economic standpoint rather than a political one.
Basically, they're thinking about their own wallets. What weirdos. 🤣

Yet Borrell sounded optimistic that the main obstacle is practical and not political. “Canada has not explained their position on political terms, but in economic terms,” he said.

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...-oil-industry/

Maria Wells14 said:Some people are actually out here pushing for an oil embargo.

Honestly, it looks like some lunatic has completely lost their grip on reality.

It’s actually a brilliant idea. Personally, I was thinking along these lines back when the first round of sanctions even started... but then I thought, "Eh, maybe I'm just being naive." After all, it's not exactly rocket science, right?

I am genuinely glad to hear that serious people are actually considering something like this—it’s fantastic... especially this whole concept of establishing a dedicated fund for Ukraine.

Best regards,

Bryan Booth82 said:It’s actually a brilliant idea. Personally, I was thinking along these lines back when the first round of sanctions even started... but then I thought, "Eh, maybe I'm just being naive." After all, it's not exactly rocket science, right?

I am genuinely glad to hear that serious people are actually considering something like this—it’s fantastic... especially this whole concept of establishing a dedicated fund for Ukraine.

Best regards,

But isn't that just a massive catch-22? 🤔
I mean, aren't we basically funding the aggressor just so we can use that money later to fund the victim? It's a loop... a total loop.
We buy oil from Russia, then take the tax revenue from that oil to pay for rebuilding Ukraine, and then—surprise!—we do it all over again. It just keeps spinning.

Grace Phillips25 said:But isn't that just a massive catch-22? 🤔
I mean, aren't we basically funding the aggressor just so we can use that money later to fund the victim? It's a loop... a total loop.
We buy oil from Russia, then take the tax revenue from that oil to pay for rebuilding Ukraine, and then—surprise!—we do it all over again. It just keeps spinning.

Customs duties? Please. The European Union will slap them on, while the rest of the world stays out of it. Who is Russia going to sell to then? It reminds me of that recent Borrell quote where he basically called people crazy for thinking "Canadians are being economic instead of political."
Just a reminder: not a single country outside the Western circle has even implemented sanctions. That's about 160 out of 200 nations.

steelfox98 said:Customs duties? Please. The European Union will slap them on, while the rest of the world stays out of it. Who is Russia going to sell to then? It reminds me of that recent Borrell quote where he basically called people crazy for thinking "Canadians are being economic instead of political."
Just a reminder: not a single country outside the Western circle has even implemented sanctions. That's about 160 out of 200 nations.

The only actual issue here is that Russia holds its largest share of trade within those 40 specific nations. The remaining 160 are almost entirely negligible, and even the heavy hitters like China are trading less than they used to.

How on earth a single country like Burkina Faso is supposed to replace the massive trade volume previously held by Germany or how Myanmar could ever substitute South Korea is something you will have to explain to us.

https://tradingeconomics.com/russia/exports-by-country

For Russia, everything hinges on exporting energy, raw materials, and food.
That’s how they stack their cash.
They use that money to buy industrial goods.
If the West hits those products with sanctions, they'll just turn around and buy them from China instead.
Over the last thirty years, the West's slice of the global manufacturing pie has shrunk drastically. Practically anything they need, they can pick up somewhere else.
At the same time, Western demand for energy has skyrocketed—and there are only a handful of countries that can supply it.
Because of that, this whole policy of using sanctions doesn't have much of a shot at actually working.
The only thing that might actually work is military aid—if it leads to a decisive military defeat for the Russians.

Maria Wells14 said:For Russia, everything hinges on exporting energy, raw materials, and food.
That’s how they stack their cash.
They use that money to buy industrial goods.
If the West hits those products with sanctions, they'll just turn around and buy them from China instead.
Over the last thirty years, the West's slice of the global manufacturing pie has shrunk drastically. Practically anything they need, they can pick up somewhere else.
At the same time, Western demand for energy has skyrocketed—and there are only a handful of countries that can supply it.
Because of that, this whole policy of using sanctions doesn't have much of a shot at actually working.
The only thing that might actually work is military aid—if it leads to a decisive military defeat for the Russians.

But where are the Russians supposed to get cars, specialized machinery, jets, microchips, semiconductors... things only the West really cranks out?
They’re basically sliding twenty years into the past.

Wait, what?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...cle_production
It’s basically the same deal with everything else he just listed.

China is pumping out more cars than anyone else, though I'm not entirely sure how much of that actually makes it onto export markets...
Most of those vehicles barely meet basic safety or environmental standards—honestly, they're the kind of cars you wouldn't want to be caught driving. Personally, I'd take a ten-year-old Ford, Renault, VW, or Toyota over them any day of the week.
The traditional "Big Four" domestic car manufacturers are SAIC Motor, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler

Tesla actually owns Ford.
I’m sure they ripped off every single thing they could get their hands on.
A lot of people carry this blatant bias—thinking Chinese people just aren't capable of high-end work.
If it makes you feel any better, it was the exact same story with Japanese companies in the '60s, then Korean brands in the '80s, and so on.
Just look back at how everyone used to laugh at Chinese smartphones only a few years ago.

brightheron64 said:It’s funny how sanctions can feel like a windfall for some, while for everyone else, they just feel like a total disaster...

I was looking at the earnings reports last night for the four biggest oil giants here in the States, and it’s honestly staggering. On average, their profits have tripled this year, all thanks to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. 😲

And let’s be real, they haven't even touched much Russian oil. Aside from a tiny amount used as an additive, they have absolutely zero justification for sending gas prices through the roof. It’s even worse for the Arab producers. You’d think they’d be thrilled to swallow up the market share left behind by Russia, but despite that, oil isn't sitting around at $70 a barrel—it's hitting $107.

So when I pulled up to the gas station this morning and saw those updated prices on the sign, I couldn't help but wonder who is actually pulling the strings here. Americans and the Arabs could easily produce more oil than we actually need, but instead, they claim competition is too fierce, pushing the Iranians (and even that Chermakov tanker) right into the crosshairs of sanctions. Meanwhile, you or some regular guy like John Doe is stuck buying fuel drop by drop, because at this rate, running a dairy farm or a brewery would probably be cheaper than filling up a tank.

In short, it's pure wartime profiteering at its finest...

Yeah, gas hit its floor during the start of the pandemic at around $1.70 a gallon ($1.00/L), but now we're looking at a dizzying $3.90 a gallon ($2.50/L).

It hasn't been this bad since 2008.

If you're running a business with razor-thin margins and your revenue depends even partially on logistics, that spike in overhead is a massive hit.

So this guy claims Russians have to switch to welding tank turrets instead of casting them:
https://twitter.com/cirnosad/status/...9TvMmb7tqaICDQ
Is this actually the impact of sanctions?
Honestly, those rumors about them stopping tank production entirely because of sanctions felt like a stretch—they just delivered a fresh batch of T-90Ms to the troops the other day.

Word on the street was they recently rolled out a new batch of ten T-90Ms, though they were just sitting under tarps, unstrapped to the railcars, and didn't exactly scream "finished product." 🤣

Nobody really uses cast turrets anymore, not even the Russians. While those early T-90A and T-90S models featured cast designs, the more recent iterations have moved entirely to welded construction.

Yeah, let's be real—most Chinese cars are basically just carbon copies of Japanese, Korean, or American models. I mean, Volvo is alright, but most of the rest aren't even good enough to make it onto export markets.
Would you actually buy a Chang’an?
Probably not.

Nathan Thomas12 said:But where are the Russians supposed to get cars, specialized machinery, jets, microchips, semiconductors... things only the West really cranks out?
They’re basically sliding twenty years into the past.

If we're talking about twenty years ago, we're looking at 2002.

I have to disagree, because back then, almost everything was still available; it's just that social media was still in its absolute infancy, don't you think?

dustyowl29 said:Yeah, let's be real—most Chinese cars are basically just carbon copies of Japanese, Korean, or American models. I mean, Volvo is alright, but most of the rest aren't even good enough to make it onto export markets.
Would you actually buy a Chang’an?
Probably not.

Whether they're copies or not, China is churning out vehicles at a rate that rivals Japan, America, and Germany combined!

It’s the exact same story whether we're talking about smartphones or weaponry...

It won't be long before we find ourselves facing a reality where Chinese manufacturers are producing superior automobiles compared to their European and Japanese counterparts.🤣

The US really needs to lean on Venezuela to ramp up production—we need that market stability if we want prices to actually drop. Same goes for Iran. They’ve got the oil, but Americans have managed to annoy pretty much everyone, and now that things are getting tight, suddenly everyone else is acting like they're doing us a massive favor... :-D