Sanctions on Russia

So, here are some ideas for banning Russian oil imports in the USA. I mean, let’s be real—Russia is only the ninth largest oil exporter to the USA anyway.

Things are spiraling—Madar just banned wheat exports:
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/statu...NDAYqeVUH8bJfw

The Associated Press is painting a pretty grim picture regarding the global economy and trade:
https://apnews.com/article/russia-uk...533aec4e73bbac

We’re basically stuck choosing between runaway inflation—thanks to the money printers—or hiking interest rates again.

Here's the scoop on the Russian stock market shutting down:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/stock-m...tf-11646411622

Until things settle down—if they ever actually do.

Carl Lee27 said:Apparently, Facebook just got banned in Russia

My bad, here's the actual link
https://twitter.com/rianru/status/14...ewokoE0Vg&s=19

Now they're reporting that Twitter has been blocked too

Looks like the Chinese-led World Bank is hitting the brakes on lending and investing in Russia and Belarus for the time being.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/89983941.cms

So, circling back to that whole debate we were having—you know, the one about what actually stops someone in Russia from just smuggling an iPhone in from China—well, I think I finally found the real-world answer. Honestly, when you look at it this way, the true value of a smartphone isn't the hardware itself, but all the stuff happening behind the screen. We're heading toward a reality where a massive chunk of what makes Android and iOS devices actually useful is going to vanish overnight. It’s scary to think about, but if Apple and Google don't pull out of these markets themselves, the government will eventually just shut down the app stores entirely.

The Kremlin is blocking access to Facebook, Twitter, and various app stores

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...&utm_brand=ars

hiddeneagle98 said:Hmm, let me think about that...

The Euro only dropped about 1.5% against the Dollar or the Yankee today.

Meanwhile, the Ruble tanked by 3% against the Dollar.

Honestly, things aren't looking too great for the EU either..

The EU isn't burning through its reserves just to keep its head above water.

Kate Lewis3 said:The EU isn't burning through its reserves just to keep its head above water.

That’s definitely true, but they—just like the United States—are printing money like there's no tomorrow. And man, you can see that inflation just keeps climbing and climbing...

Michael Davis9 said:That’s definitely true, but they—just like the United States—are printing money like there's no tomorrow. And man, you can see that inflation just keeps climbing and climbing...

Standard operating procedure. Their moves aren't tied to sanctions against Russia, whereas any attempt by Russia to defend the ruble is strictly dictated by those very sanctions.

Ever since senile Biden and his Build Back Better plan took the reins, the US has been cranking the printing presses to fund these absolutely insane projects, fueling inflation long before any Russian aggression in Ukraine ever happened.

Comparing EUR-USD (green vs red) and USD-RUB (orange)



Russia is having a hard time, but I suppose Europe will collapse before they do 😵

What on earth is going on with the dollar? It’s melting away like snow in April, and we aren't even through March yet.🤔
It feels like every single dam has just been let go at once.
Best regards,

Blinken speaking in Brussels today:
"Asked by CNN whether the US is considering energy sanctions against Russia, Blinken said "nothing is off the table" - but added that it is not in the US interest to cut the global energy supply, as this would send the price of oil surging."

So Blinken’s basically saying it’s not in the USA's best interest to slap sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports!
What about the EU?

Maria Moore said:Blinken speaking in Brussels today:
"Asked by CNN whether the US is considering energy sanctions against Russia, Blinken said "nothing is off the table" - but added that it is not in the US interest to cut the global energy supply, as this would send the price of oil surging."

So Blinken’s basically saying it’s not in the USA's best interest to slap sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports!
What about the EU?

Well, even the EU is still trading in that sector.

Maria Moore said:Blinken speaking in Brussels today:
"Asked by CNN whether the US is considering energy sanctions against Russia, Blinken said "nothing is off the table" - but added that it is not in the US interest to cut the global energy supply, as this would send the price of oil surging."

So Blinken’s basically saying it’s not in the USA's best interest to slap sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports!
What about the EU?

Look, it's not like the EU is stupid, and neither is America. I suppose they'll just buy the bare minimum required to keep the lights on while they scramble for alternatives. Once those new sources are actually found, built, or online, they’ll tighten the screws even harder. Besides, Russia is in such a tight spot right now that they can't really afford to play hardball and say, "It's all or nothing, we're done exporting, deal with it." They simply don't have that luxury.

Maria Moore said:Blinken speaking in Brussels today:
"Asked by CNN whether the US is considering energy sanctions against Russia, Blinken said "nothing is off the table" - but added that it is not in the US interest to cut the global energy supply, as this would send the price of oil surging."

So Blinken’s basically saying it’s not in the USA's best interest to slap sanctions on Russian oil and gas imports!
What about the EU?

Look, in this specific situation, Americans are actually looking out for their allies here. The US has been a net energy exporter for quite a while now—I'm pretty sure we're even net exporters of natural gas at this point—so we have that cushion, whereas Europe is the one that's left incredibly vulnerable to these shifts.

Carl Lee27 said:Look, in this specific situation, Americans are actually looking out for their allies here. The US has been a net energy exporter for quite a while now—I'm pretty sure we're even net exporters of natural gas at this point—so we have that cushion, whereas Europe is the one that's left incredibly vulnerable to these shifts.

It was all about Trump.
The first thing that clueless, senile Biden did was basically sign off on sabotaging our own growing hydrocarbon industry just to push the Green New Deal.
The liar media refuses to highlight this as what it actually is—one of those catastrophic moves that gave Putin the ambition to start a war in Ukraine.

If that exponential growth in US production and LNG exports to the EU had kept going, Putin would have thought twice, very carefully, about risking an invasion of Ukraine (which, by the way, for anyone who hasn't caught up, happened because of newly discovered hydrocarbon reserves near the Black Sea coast...)

Timothy Nelson5 said:It was all about Trump.
The first thing that clueless, senile Biden did was basically sign off on sabotaging our own growing hydrocarbon industry just to push the Green New Deal.
The liar media refuses to highlight this as what it actually is—one of those catastrophic moves that gave Putin the ambition to start a war in Ukraine.

If that exponential growth in US production and LNG exports to the EU had kept going, Putin would have thought twice, very carefully, about risking an invasion of Ukraine (which, by the way, for anyone who hasn't caught up, happened because of newly discovered hydrocarbon reserves near the Black Sea coast...)

Trump is a fool, and fracking destroys both nature and people. Any initiative that helps bring an end to that kind of exploitation is welcome.

Anthony Hill5 said:Trump is a fool, and fracking destroys both nature and people. Any initiative that helps bring an end to that kind of exploitation is welcome.

And where exactly is Europe supposed to be getting its gas from anyway?

Carl Lee27 said:And where exactly is Europe supposed to be getting its gas from anyway?

Europe actually has plenty of time to bolster its gas reserves before next winter. The only reason they haven't been doing this is because they've been lazily leaving everything up to the free market.

There’s enough gas out there; it’s simply a matter of adjusting to these new realities.

Best,

Let me just circle back and really drive this point home because we’re talking about sanctions on Russia here: where on earth is Europe supposed to pull 550 billion cubic meters of gas from every single year? Like, specifically? Where is Europe going to go to refill all those storage facilities? If it isn't coming from Russia, and if we aren't looking at massive fracking operations in the USA—which I know was what the previous guy was suggesting—then where exactly is this gas coming from?

silverotter72 said:Comparing EUR-USD (green vs red) and USD-RUB (orange)



Russia is having a hard time, but I suppose Europe will collapse before they do 😵

Honestly, I don't know. These endless stories about Europe and the EU falling apart have been clogging up the news for years now, mostly coming from people on Putin's payroll.
He sees the EU as a major headache, much like NATO, because having the EU in Europe means he’s facing one massive, powerful rival. It would be way easier for him to play a bunch of smaller European countries against each other instead of dealing with the EU as a single unit.
The speed and coordination behind those sanctions against Russia just goes to show—when the EU actually needs to step up against a common threat, they can act pretty unified and efficient.

Now, on top of everything else he's dealing with, Putin has actually made the EU members more tightly connected than ever before.

The more time passes, the more I feel like Putin didn't have a Plan B for Ukraine. He isn't the one calling the shots anymore; he's just reacting to things. That’s usually a sign when a plan falls apart.