Sanctions on Russia

Jack Hill2 said:The article you linked clearly states they can't increase capacity for at least six months, not that they lack the ability entirely. Those countries shot down those claims immediately, noting that what they told Emmanuel Macron was that they couldn't hike production instantly due to the OPEC+ agreement expiring at the end of the year. So, it isn't even a technical limitation on production; they are simply honoring the existing production quotas...

I don't understand why you insist on feeding us nothing but half-truths and completely twisted contexts.

It's foolish, truly foolish. If you're going to share something with this forum, at least put in some effort.

You're linking a junk headline that implies Middle Eastern countries lack sufficient production capacity. In reality:
1. They have enough capacity and could increase it right now.
2. They are currently respecting the OPEC+ agreement, which expires in 4-5 months. To boost production immediately, they would just need a new agreement.

Think about it for a second, and you'll realize I'm right. There is no point in serving news the way you are. People see these junk headlines when browsing portals on their own; if you're going to post them here, you should provide meaningful context and the full story, not just clickbait.

brightheron64 said:First of all, most of this "news" is pure garbage—nothing more than blatant propaganda.

Secondly, you can sing your battle songs all you want and pin all your hopes on headlines and posts suggesting that someone can just stick a pipe in the ground in Saudi Arabia and watch the oil flow... but everyone seems to be ignoring the massive "shit happens" variable. We're talking about everything from random accidents, like an explosion at an LPG plant in Freeport, to malicious actors like the Iranians who might goad the Houthis into hitting Saudi oil facilities. What lies ahead for us... well, even Vanga wouldn't know (and she’d probably be kicked out of Saudi Arabia for her fortune-telling)... but it’s certainly interesting to see some people still feeling so incredibly secure and carefree...

As for the bickering on this forum, I find it all rather entertaining, which is exactly why I’m spending my weekend servicing three bicycles that have been rotting in my basement for years... 😉

And just try imagining what it's like trying to ride a bike in San Diego. Especially when you're pushing 220 pounds or more... 😬

Jack Hill2 said:And I'm not just talking to you, but speaking generally here. This is easily the hundredth time someone shares a link in one context, only for me to click it and find something entirely different. Then you go to Google and realize the article itself was biased from the start, leaving out key facts, denials, and everything else...

Honestly, I can click a link and already know it's garbage.

Melissa Rivera5 said:It’s all fun and games until you try driving an old Opel through Imotski!

Anthony Hill5 said:The article explicitly states that Saudi Arabia has the capacity to bump production from 10.5 million barrels per day to 12.5 million.

As for the United Arab Emirates, they can manage an additional 400,000 to a million.

The EU imports 2 million barrels per day from Russia. Therefore, Saudi Arabia alone can replace exactly what is needed.

Quote : Europe was The destination for nearly half of Russia's crude and petroleum product exports before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The EU imported 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in 2021, including 0.7 million bpd via pipeline.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/comm...%20of%20diesel.

If anyone actually understands the true production capacities of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it is the Americans.

rowdyraven112 said:I’d usually ignore one-sided nonsense like this, but here we go.

First off, Russia used to export nearly 10 million barrels a day. Now Europe is stuck with 2 million, and sure, Saudi Arabia could theoretically fill that hole alone. But look at the reality: while some countries cut back on Russian imports (like the Netherlands), others actually ramped them up (Italy, Canada). It’s also worth noting nobody even knows where that last 1.5 million barrels of Russian oil ends up. By the way, Turkey increased its Russian oil imports too—they're basically treating European supply like their own private stash. ☕

Second thing: we keep acting like Saudi Arabia is some holy savior, yet they invaded an independent Yemen. Apparently, nobody cares. People only smell Russian oil over Ukrainian bodies, not Saudi oil over Yemeni civilian casualties. ☕
If we're talking about proportional sanctions, Saudi Arabia earned them long before Russia did. Makes you wonder: what happens if the UN decides to sanction Arab oil because of the aggression in Yemen? ☕

That probably won't happen. Not if Saudi Arabia keeps its capacity capped. I already dropped the link where the Saudi Prince said there wouldn't be an increase because of a deal with Russia. In exchange, Russia turns a blind eye to the invasion of Yemen and won't push for UN sanctions. Meanwhile, the government currently in power in Yemen is close to Iran, who is a Russian ally. It’s complicated. Beyond complicated.

You know what... maybe you should be the Secretary of Commerce. We could send you to negotiate directly with the Saudi Prince. ☕

dustyowl29 said:It’s pretty wild to think about—wheat used to be grown right there in Egypt along the banks of the Nile back in the days of the Pharaohs... and now, here I am, buying it from Russia.

Drew Booth60 said:This whole conflict has really hammered home the fact that Russia—even with a GDP roughly comparable to Spain's—is still a massive global superpower. It’s that sheer scale combined with those insane natural resources that gives them this massive leverage over a bunch of countries that are basically hooked on them. Some are addicted to their energy, while others are stuck depending on them for food.

Take Egypt, for example. They import about 85% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine. We're talking about a nation where poverty is widespread and bread is the absolute cornerstone of survival. A country like that simply cannot afford to turn against Russia; if they did, they’d be staring down a total collapse similar to what happened in Sri Lanka. People will put up with just about anything, but you don't mess with their power supply or, more importantly, their food supply—and those are exactly the two things Russia dominates. In that sense, they’ve built up a massive roster of dependents. Honestly, even the USA doesn't have quite that many countries tethered to them in a way that prevents them from speaking out.

It makes you wonder what the future holds, but right now, Russia has a huge chunk of the world by the short hairs. Take India, for instance—they aren't dependent on Russia for food or energy, but they do rely on them for weaponry, which is still a massive factor in the equation.

Drew Booth60 said:This whole conflict has really hammered home the fact that Russia—even with a GDP roughly comparable to Spain's—is still a massive global superpower. It’s that sheer scale combined with those insane natural resources that gives them this massive leverage over a bunch of countries that are basically hooked on them. Some are addicted to their energy, while others are stuck depending on them for food.

Take Egypt, for example. They import about 85% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine. We're talking about a nation where poverty is widespread and bread is the absolute cornerstone of survival. A country like that simply cannot afford to turn against Russia; if they did, they’d be staring down a total collapse similar to what happened in Sri Lanka. People will put up with just about anything, but you don't mess with their power supply or, more importantly, their food supply—and those are exactly the two things Russia dominates. In that sense, they’ve built up a massive roster of dependents. Honestly, even the USA doesn't have quite that many countries tethered to them in a way that prevents them from speaking out.

It makes you wonder what the future holds, but right now, Russia has a huge chunk of the world by the short hairs. Take India, for instance—they aren't dependent on Russia for food or energy, but they do rely on them for weaponry, which is still a massive factor in the equation.

The Russian version of McDonald's is already running out of fries

Canada is set to approve the lifting of sanctions regarding the return of repaired Russian turbines to Germany, which are essential for keeping the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operational, according to an announcement from the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources.

mellowsurfer14 said:Canada relents

Canada is set to approve the lifting of sanctions regarding the return of repaired Russian turbines to Germany, which are essential for keeping the Nord Stream 1 pipeline operational, according to an announcement from the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources.

https://hr.n1info.com/biznis/kanada-...vernog-toka-1/

brightheron64 said:I really feel like we should have made that a bit more noticeable... 😁

Canada: We’re bringing the Nord Stream 1 turbines back online, and frankly, the Germans are going to find themselves shivering without that gas supply...

I’m not just saying this for the sake of hearing my own voice, but honestly, this really is one of the most entertaining corners of Foruma.hr... 🎉

rowdytiger13 As Jack Hill2 says...
But honestly, I’m having a hard time seeing where the contradiction even lies...
Germany's reliance on Russian gas has become quite a significant issue, though it’s funny to think about how it wasn't even viewed as much of a problem back in the day... especially when everything seemed focused on pushing projects like Nord Stream forward. It feels like what used to be an accidental dependency has now shifted into a deliberate policy objective, where the entire goal is to decouple from Russian energy sources as swiftly as humanly possible... and current forecasts suggest it might take about two years to fully pull it off...
If the war were to grind to a halt right this second, nothing would actually change... Even if Russia were to step back, the fact remains that they’ve already managed to shake the very foundations of the German economy, not to mention the broader European market as well...
Whatever they managed to catch, they've already caught it... In any case, Russian gas supplies are bound to dwindle down to almost nothing...

The Peace of Tilsit represents such a pivotal moment in history, marking that monumental peace treaty signed between France and Russia, as well as between France and Prussia, back on July 9, 1807... It effectively brought an end to the intense conflict between France and Russia, which had been fighting alongside the Fourth Coalition—comprising the United Kingdom, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden—against the forces of Napoleon I. Bonaparte. This whole arrangement was ultimately driven by the influence of the Russian Tsar, Alexander I, following the devastating defeat at the Battle of Friedland (which we know today as Pravdinsk) on June 14, 1807. Under the specific terms laid out in this peace agreement, Prussia suffered significant losses, surrendering the territory situated between the Rhine and the Elbe, along with all the Polish lands they had managed to acquire during the First and Second Partitions of Poland...

rowdytiger13 said:But honestly, where is the contradiction here?
Germany's reliance on Russian gas is a massive issue, though it wasn't viewed that way before—back when they were doubling down on NS2. Now, the way dependency used to be an accidental byproduct, it has become the primary goal and policy: decoupling from Russian energy as fast as humanly possible. They're forecasting about two years for that transition.
Even if the war stops tomorrow, that isn't changing. Russia might still have leverage, but they've lost the German and broader European markets in the process.
Whatever they managed to grab, they've grabbed it. Either way, Russian gas is being phased out to the bare minimum.

brightheron64 said:

rowdytiger13 As Jack Hill2 says...
But honestly, I’m having a hard time seeing where the contradiction even lies...
Germany's reliance on Russian gas has become quite a significant issue, though it’s funny to think about how it wasn't even viewed as much of a problem back in the day... especially when everything seemed focused on pushing projects like Nord Stream forward. It feels like what used to be an accidental dependency has now shifted into a deliberate policy objective, where the entire goal is to decouple from Russian energy sources as swiftly as humanly possible... and current forecasts suggest it might take about two years to fully pull it off...
If the war were to grind to a halt right this second, nothing would actually change... Even if Russia were to step back, the fact remains that they’ve already managed to shake the very foundations of the German economy, not to mention the broader European market as well...
Whatever they managed to catch, they've already caught it... In any case, Russian gas supplies are bound to dwindle down to almost nothing...

Well, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if it all actually plays out the way they say...

Are you honestly suggesting that Germany and the rest of Europe can solve their dependency issues just by cutting Russian gas supplies down to zero? It feels a bit like saying, "I'm done buying cocaine from Colombians, so now I'll just get it from Peruvians instead"... which doesn't really change the situation much, does it? Unless, of course, they happen to stumble upon a breakthrough in controlled fusion or a viable hydrogen engine in the meantime... 🤣

Ultimately, this war will reach its conclusion just like any other conflict before it, whenever that may be... Once the dust finally settles, the powers that be will simply reshuffle the deck and draft entirely new agreements, especially since the underlying infrastructure is already firmly in place...

Just a quick little reflection on our "life teacher" here... looking at the relationship between France and Germany, both back then and even today. I don't want to go too far afield, but let's start with the Napoleonic Wars...

The Peace of Tilsit represents such a pivotal moment in history, marking that monumental peace treaty signed between France and Russia, as well as between France and Prussia, back on July 9, 1807... It effectively brought an end to the intense conflict between France and Russia, which had been fighting alongside the Fourth Coalition—comprising the United Kingdom, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden—against the forces of Napoleon I. Bonaparte. This whole arrangement was ultimately driven by the influence of the Russian Tsar, Alexander I, following the devastating defeat at the Battle of Friedland (which we know today as Pravdinsk) on June 14, 1807. Under the specific terms laid out in this peace agreement, Prussia suffered significant losses, surrendering the territory situated between the Rhine and the Elbe, along with all the Polish lands they had managed to acquire during the First and Second Partitions of Poland...

Should I even bother recounting the much more brutal clashes between those nations over the next 140 years... because just look at the world we live in today—it turns out Germans and the French are actually the very foundation of a unified Europe...

Those were different times altogether, an era when everything felt far less interconnected than it does now, whereas today, everything moves at such a breakneck pace that nobody has the luxury—or frankly, the capital—to waste time chasing shadows... The moment some contract gets signed, suddenly there's a sudden influx of Russian gas and oil ready to roll, because, let's face it, money doesn't have a scent, even when it’s undeniably dirty and reeks of corruption...

Let’s be perfectly clear here—this isn't some kind of obsession with Russia, but rather a genuine attempt to look at the facts as they actually stand, all while poking a bit of fun at this much-touted "resolve" and "unified action" that everyone keeps preaching about...

Joshua Myers432 said:Sure, maybe in the short term. But long-term? Russia and Europe are tethered. By every definition, Russia is part of the European landscape—at least this specific European slice. They've been sidelined over the last century, but you can't deny the massive footprint Russian influence has left on European culture.

Look at history. Germany and France fought, the US and Japan fought, yet they pivoted almost immediately to becoming each other's biggest economic and military partners.