Sanctions on Russia

bluerider63 said:The Germans can't make up their minds if they want to stand up or just fold. They talk big about sanctions, then quietly sneak in more Russian gas when nobody's looking. While Washington dictates the policy for everyone else, all of Europe—meaning us too—is going to end up footing the massive bill for their little crusade. Honestly, the USA is the only one walking away with a win here.

Take a look at a map and see where the conflict is actually happening. The war is in Europe. Is there any scenario where Europe doesn't end up being the primary victim of a European war? It’s pretty obvious that Europe is the one bearing the brunt of it all...

Kyle Nelson2 said:It’s even happening in Israel

There was once a concept for an Israel-Cyprus-Greece pipeline alliance.

But that's been scrapped—for now.

urbanheron4 said:Not really. 😁 You're looking at Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Basically, you'd have to find a way through Turkey first, and then maybe things would move.

But we shouldn't write Russia off forever, either. If their government collapses and someone like Navalny takes over, everything could flip overnight. Though, how realistic is that? Not sure.

The Azerbaijani route also runs right through Turkey. It's pretty much impossible to bypass them.

Michael Ortiz68 said:The Azerbaijani route also runs right through Turkey. It's pretty much impossible to bypass them.

Interesting read here.
https://fortune.com/2022/03/03/when-...erves-oil-gas/

So they've got maybe a year's worth of reserves left. Or at least six months, if we're being optimistic.

Michael Ortiz68 said:

Last week, Germany Said IT would taka steps to diversify its Energy supply away fra Russia, announcing a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) order for non-Russian liquefied natural gas and a possible slowdown of its exit from coal.

Wait, so to cut their reliance on Russian gas, the Germans are going to burn more coal? I’m struggling to see how that aligns with their green agenda and the whole fight against climate change.

God doesn't need to beg.

For everyone whining about AD-Plastik:

To those who claim we bought Russian energy and raw materials out of some misplaced affection for Moscow: let’s be clear—it was purely about the bottom line...

Access to cheaper fuel and raw materials, along with the ability to trade and invest within Russia, provided the bedrock for our competitiveness, fueled the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, bolstered consumer purchasing power, and ultimately sustained a higher standard of living for everyone...

While we certainly lean toward the culture and values of the USA and the UK, the specific economic models they are pushing onto us come with a much steeper price tag—a cost we simply cannot afford, and perhaps, have no desire to shoulder...

Returning to an economic landscape reminiscent of the 1980s? Absolutely not. That path leads straight to aggressive militarization and massive spending on defense and weaponry. Furthermore, the "green agenda" seems to be a lost cause if you look at the reality; we're looking at increased air pollution and the destruction of our forests... No thank you; we need to move toward progress, not retreat into the past...

It is entirely possible that we might witness a genuine internal upheaval within Russia, primarily because Putin and the ruling elite have left themselves far too exposed to the dollar, the euro, and the volatility of foreign debt markets... China avoids this trap by maintaining its position as a major creditor of American debt...

Jeremy Turner9 said:To those who claim we bought Russian energy and raw materials out of some misplaced affection for Moscow: let’s be clear—it was purely about the bottom line...

Access to cheaper fuel and raw materials, along with the ability to trade and invest within Russia, provided the bedrock for our competitiveness, fueled the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, bolstered consumer purchasing power, and ultimately sustained a higher standard of living for everyone...

While we certainly lean toward the culture and values of the USA and the UK, the specific economic models they are pushing onto us come with a much steeper price tag—a cost we simply cannot afford, and perhaps, have no desire to shoulder...

Returning to an economic landscape reminiscent of the 1980s? Absolutely not. That path leads straight to aggressive militarization and massive spending on defense and weaponry. Furthermore, the "green agenda" seems to be a lost cause if you look at the reality; we're looking at increased air pollution and the destruction of our forests... No thank you; we need to move toward progress, not retreat into the past...

And honestly, I guess we’ll probably go back to doing the same thing one day if, or when, some pro-Western faction finally takes over in Russia.

boldcanyon14 said:For everyone whining about AD-Plastik:

A friend of mine works over at AD-Plastik, and they’ve actually switched (at least his department) to a four-day workweek just to cut costs.

The pandemic really hit them hard since car orders completely cratered.

That said, the management seems solid enough; they'll likely weather the storm. Personally, I think this interview was just an attempt to spin the reality of the situation and keep people calm.

We are fully aware of the external pressures and how volatile things are day-to-day. We are monitoring market shifts closely and doing everything possible to insulate our operations from the crisis. This is an unprecedented situation, and we hope it remains temporary.

boldcanyon14 said:For everyone whining about AD-Plastik:

It’s quite clear that the owner acted with considerable foresight by decoupling his operations; since he conducted his business in Russia using rubles, he avoided the massive headache that would have occurred had he taken out local loans here to fund the factory, the machinery, or the raw materials sitting over in Russia...

Jeremy Turner9 said:To those who claim we bought Russian energy and raw materials out of some misplaced affection for Moscow: let’s be clear—it was purely about the bottom line...

Access to cheaper fuel and raw materials, along with the ability to trade and invest within Russia, provided the bedrock for our competitiveness, fueled the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, bolstered consumer purchasing power, and ultimately sustained a higher standard of living for everyone...

While we certainly lean toward the culture and values of the USA and the UK, the specific economic models they are pushing onto us come with a much steeper price tag—a cost we simply cannot afford, and perhaps, have no desire to shoulder...

Returning to an economic landscape reminiscent of the 1980s? Absolutely not. That path leads straight to aggressive militarization and massive spending on defense and weaponry. Furthermore, the "green agenda" seems to be a lost cause if you look at the reality; we're looking at increased air pollution and the destruction of our forests... No thank you; we need to move toward progress, not retreat into the past...

In the short term, sure. But in the long run, I suspect the EU will eventually turn inward toward its own resources. They won't be relying on either the Americans or the Russians.

Daniel Barnes53 said:And honestly, I guess we’ll probably go back to doing the same thing one day if, or when, some pro-Western faction finally takes over in Russia.

The reality is that even Putin was once considered a pro-Western option.😵

Jeremy Turner9 said:The reality is that even Putin was once considered a pro-Western option.😵

Yeah, right. 😵

Jeremy Turner9 said:To those who claim we bought Russian energy and raw materials out of some misplaced affection for Moscow: let’s be clear—it was purely about the bottom line...

Access to cheaper fuel and raw materials, along with the ability to trade and invest within Russia, provided the bedrock for our competitiveness, fueled the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, bolstered consumer purchasing power, and ultimately sustained a higher standard of living for everyone...

While we certainly lean toward the culture and values of the USA and the UK, the specific economic models they are pushing onto us come with a much steeper price tag—a cost we simply cannot afford, and perhaps, have no desire to shoulder...

Returning to an economic landscape reminiscent of the 1980s? Absolutely not. That path leads straight to aggressive militarization and massive spending on defense and weaponry. Furthermore, the "green agenda" seems to be a lost cause if you look at the reality; we're looking at increased air pollution and the destruction of our forests... No thank you; we need to move toward progress, not retreat into the past...

Just because you are personally willing to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and subject millions more to subjugation just to secure cheap gas and maintain your own comfort, does not mean everyone else shares that mindset. We all must be prepared to make certain sacrifices to support people and a nation that bears zero responsibility for these current events. I, for one, would gladly shoulder my portion of the burden to achieve that goal.

Russian gas will eventually be replaced by other sources; it will take time, certainly, but everything will settle into its rightful place. We have funded Putin's criminal regime for far too long.

Shell is cutting off gas and oil imports from Russia

So, what's the move now? 😕

silverotter72 said:In the short term, sure. But in the long run, I suspect the EU will eventually turn inward toward its own resources. They won't be relying on either the Americans or the Russians.

Time will ultimately be the judge of that. We have to face the reality that importing expensive American natural gas isn't a sustainable fix; markets are acutely aware that the EU is scrambling to find a substitute for Russian exports. Whether Iran can ramp up production quickly enough to fill that massive void remains a huge question mark, and by loudly broadcasting our desperation, we are simply highlighting our own vulnerability and dependency. This entire transition is going to carry a heavy price tag. While Russia initially tried to leverage energy prices as a tool for blackmail, the imposition of sanctions has somewhat blunted their ability to dictate terms through cost alone.

Ultimately, much of this burden falls squarely on Germany rather than us; they built their entire industrial strategy around a direct energy lifeline to Russia, and now they are feeling the full weight of that miscalculation.

It is unfortunate, but expecting widespread solidarity in this context feels like chasing a socialist ideal that doesn't apply here. It is an undeniable fact that the relationship between the EU and Russia has been fundamentally shattered.

Daniel Barnes53 said:Yeah, right. 😵

It isn't quite accurate to say he wasn't involved; he was actively trading with the European Union and the West, taking out loans from both the European Union and the USA, and conducting business using euros and dollars... He even facilitated investments into Russia itself...

The reality is that those oligarchs were only restrained by the fact that they couldn't simply spirit all their wealth away to the West at once. From what I can gather, the West actually encouraged that flow of capital—they wanted that money brought over to buy up real estate, import luxury yachts, acquire soccer teams, and funnel funds through various investments and donations.

Eventually, people like Abrahamovich and his associates realized that this entire arrangement lacked any true sincerity, particularly once the seizures began to take place...

Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, Putin maintained a certain level of stability through trade; he simply wasn't financially beholden enough to the West to prevent him from pushing back when necessary.

Up in the Northern part of the US Gulf Coast, they’ve hit 22 gas discoveries with reserves sitting at roughly 1.3 trillion cubic feet. They’re running things through 19 gas platforms, a compression platform, and nearly 51 wells. Total annual production hits about 1.2 billion cubic meters.

Down along the US Atlantic coast, the numbers are much bigger. There are 130 gas fields out there with reserves estimated at 23 trillion cubic feet. Right now, 45 of those fields are active, using 197 platforms and nearly 600 wells. That brings annual production to about 5 billion cubic meters.

Over in our neck of the woods in the US Gulf of Mexico, we haven't seen any commercial discoveries yet. We did have two wells, X-1 and Y-13, show some decent signs of oil, but between technical hurdles and the bottom line, we haven't moved to full-scale production.

Looking back at the US Atlantic coast again, they've found 24 oil discoveries totaling about 550 million barrels. Seven fields are currently pumping via 7 platforms and 39 wells, pulling in about 1.8 million barrels a year.

The early seismic data and everything else suggests the Permian Basin still has massive untapped potential, especially for unconventional resources that haven't been fully tapped. If you look at the US and Mexico, it’s a clear comparison: even though both have similar onshore footprints in the Permian, the US has only drilled about 33% of the exploratory wells that Mexico has—based on IHS stats—and we've only uncovered less than 52% of the recoverable reserves they have.

If we weren't so incompetent and bogged down by corruption, we'd be exporting gas and oil instead of just scraping by to meet our own demand.

Anthony Hill5 said:Just because you are personally willing to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and subject millions more to subjugation just to secure cheap gas and maintain your own comfort, does not mean everyone else shares that mindset. We all must be prepared to make certain sacrifices to support people and a nation that bears zero responsibility for these current events. I, for one, would gladly shoulder my portion of the burden to achieve that goal.

Russian gas will eventually be replaced by other sources; it will take time, certainly, but everything will settle into its rightful place. We have funded Putin's criminal regime for far too long.

So, it took the war in Ukraine to finally open your eyes? Bravo...

You and the West have essentially sacrificed Ukraine; you hesitate to defend them and show no appetite for pushing back against Russia, offering plenty of lofty promises and ideals while remaining remarkably weak when it comes to actual implementation—and clearly, the Russians have noticed.