Ukraine Watch...

[Vortex2]

the EU, between February 24 and November 17, imported more fossil fuel from Russia, than the next 10 countries combined.

(Indian Foreign Minister)

So much for sanctions.

The West supplies weapons to Ukraine whilst buying Russian fossil fuels.
Lunacy - and dishonest.

[PS_RalphW]

The EU is more than 10 countries. Russia still supplies gas to Ukraine, even as it bombs it’s infrastructure into the Stone Age. It makes no sense except that the EU is a captive customer and Russia is a captive supplier. This is international trade and politics, and has been like this for centuries.

[Vortex2]

Despite all the provocations, the Ukrainians have stuck to military targets

The 6 dead shoppers killed by Ukrainian shells in Donetsk yesterday & today would beg to differ.

[Vortex2]

Imports of Russian liquefied natural gas to Europe have surged to a new high.

This is reported by the "Handelsblatt", citing figures from the market research company ICIS.
Compared to the previous year, the EU and Great Britain bought almost 21 percent more LNG from Russia than before the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
"13 percent of European LNG imports are currently from Russia,” said ICIS expert Andreas Schröder of the newspaper
"And the quantity is growing rapidly." The Russian liquid gas is also arriving in Germany, it is being imported via France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Kremlin earns quite well from the LNG supplies.
According to the report, almost 27 billion euros flowed to Moscow from January to November.
Overall, however, the amount that Russia sends to Europe via LNG terminals is comparatively small.
In 2021, Europe imported around 133 billion cubic meters of gas via pipeline between January and November.
During the same period, Russian liquefied natural gas imports amounted to only 15 billion cubic meters.
In the first eleven months of this year it was almost 18 billion.

From : https://newsrnd.com/business/2022-12-06 ... Ytnwj.html

The Russians are very naughty - let's embargo their products .. err, umm, except for things we actually need.

[PS_RalphW]

As the Russians have blown up the main ng pipelines to Europe, it is hardly surprising that they end up exporting more in LNG form, given the captive customer/supplier relationship. Sadly, the net co2 emissions of LNG is much higher than piped NG.

[UndercoverElephant]

The Russians are very naughty - let's embargo their products .. err, umm, except for things we actually need.

Why would we shoot ourselves in the foot by embargoing products we actually need?

[Vortex2]

The Russians are very naughty - let's embargo their products .. err, umm, except for things we actually need.

Why would we shoot ourselves in the foot by embargoing products we actually need?

War is a funny old process.

In WW1 we sold artillery shells to the Germans, via Switzerland.

When discovered, the seller said "Well, the German shells are better than ours so we in fact have improved the situation for the British soldiers."

This Ukraine conflict is a nonsense : people on this forum buying bullets to kill Russians, others stating that 100,000 dead is a fair price to teach Putin a lesson, Europe sanctioning Russia on one hand and buying their oil & gas at 6X normal price on the other.

Smedley Butler in his book/paper "War Is A Racket" got it exactly right.

All you binary thinking pro-Ukraine or pro-Russian fans need to review your stance.

See: https://ia802605.us.archive.org/29/item ... Racket.pdf

[PS_RalphW]

I do not think many people on this site see Ukraine as an entirely wonderful people without prejudice or corruption in their culture. However they are a sovereign nation who have been illegally and brutally invaded by a Russian regime which is far worse and who have shown over the last 20 years a growing desire to reinstate imperial control over their ex colonies (in all but name) and have shown that they respect nothing except violence and money.

Russia is not the only country in the world run by such a regime. But they are the most immediate threat to the wellbeing of the European nations and need to be contained. The Russian regime is destroying its own military by attacking a well defended and supported democracy. The Russian people are beginning to recognise this.

[adam2]

Whilst I can see faults on the Ukrainian side, it is hard to avoid the basic fact that Ukraine was invaded and that russia did the invading.
My sympathies are with Ukraine, and I support both our government, and private individuals sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine in order to kill russian invaders. The main needs at present are said to be small arms and ammunition, air defence equipment, and long range artillery.

I also support the sending of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian civilian population.
The main needs at present are reported to be blankets, long underwear, winter clothes, heating equipment, generators, LED lamps, and high energy long life foods.

High energy cold weather ration packs have been gratefully received, AFAIK these are similar to the usual MREs but with a large bar of chocolate, dried fruit, and jam. Bioethanol fuel has also been much appreciated.
White overalls are also in demand, as improvised winter camo, and basic building materials for repairs and building basic shelters.

[Stumuz2]

A heterodox article by our old chum Dmitry Orlov
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/goldilocks-war

Neither agree nor disagree with the article, just putting contrary article for discussion. My interest in the article was Russia replacing the dollar(petrodollar) with Gold for unfriendly nations that wish to buy Russian energy.

[clv101]

Indeed, one of Russia's strategic aims is to more away from Western controlled fiat currencies towards one backed by physical resources.

[kenneal - lagger]

What did you make of the Jeffrey Sachs interview, Ken?

Firstly, the interviewer, Johan Allers, definitely had an agenda which Sachs agreed with, which was definitely anti American and entirely uncritical of Putin, hence the interview.

I did agree with some of what was said about America and its desire for world hegemony but the lack of any criticism of Putin reduced their message to me. Despite what America might or might not have done you cannot comment on this war without criticising Putin's attack on Ukraine. A great part of the problem is Putin's mindset and paranoia and desire to see Russia Great Again. Just like Trump's desire to Make America Great Again Putin's desire is dangerous and a threat to world peace.

As to NATO moving east, I don't think that is the case. The east has moved towards NATO because they don't trust Putin and his own Military Industrial Complex. The Russian MIC is just as polluting politically as the US version but in Russia is more powerful because it is owned by the ruling cabal. Putin, as most Russian rulers in the past, rules by fear and thinks that others do the same so he cannot comprehend that other countries voluntarily join an organisation. He cannot get it out of his head that America has forced or threatened all these countries to join NATO just as Russia forced the countries "under Russia's influence" to join the Warsaw Pact. It does not enter his head that the Eastern European States are not more afraid of the US than they are of him and that annoys him greatly so instead of friendly overtures he threatens every one. Hence not only have the former Warsaw Pact countries joined NATO but two formerly neutral countries have now applied to join.

If Putin bumps off Lukashenko, as seems likely, I can see a large number of Belarusian soldiers mutinying and turning against Putin and his forces if they are told to go into Ukraine. Putin would then face a war on two fronts against two countries which would finish him and his forces off completely. Of course the US, the CIA and NATO would get the blame but it would just be the desire of yet another country to get out from under the totalitarian yoke that is "friendship" with Mother Russia and its criminal rulers.

But Putin bumping off the Belorussian Foreign Minister and then the President to install their own puppet leader also contrasts with the American way of doing things through influence and in my view justifies

Although the American system is riddled with the corruption of the lobbying system and patronage, as is ours to a slightly lesser degree, the west does not have a system where a few oligarchs own virtually the whole economy and the President is at the top of the tree dispensing companies to those who he thinks will best look after his interests. And in the West people who displease the President don't fall out of windows or commit suicide by taking exotic poisons, even when living abroad.

But, at the end of the day, Putin has said that he wishes to reinstate the Soviet Empire and that trumps all his other excuses for starting the war. He might have been annoyed that former Soviet block countries had jumped ship and joined the other side but he wasn't intimidated by the encroachment of NATO he was just pissed off that it would now make it more difficult to walk in like he did in Ukraine. Belarus had better watch Putin's troops in the country now because, unlike NATO troops would ever do in another NATO country, they might well take the country over if their "leader" isn't enough of a puppet for Putin. There lies another important difference between the US and Putin's Russia.

[kenneal - lagger]

The Russians are very naughty - let's embargo their products .. err, umm, except for things we actually need.

Why would we shoot ourselves in the foot by embargoing products we actually need?

War is a funny old process.

In WW1 we sold artillery shells to the Germans, via Switzerland.

When discovered, the seller said "Well, the German shells are better than ours so we in fact have improved the situation for the British soldiers."

This Ukraine conflict is a nonsense : people on this forum buying bullets to kill Russians, others stating that 100,000 dead is a fair price to teach Putin a lesson, Europe sanctioning Russia on one hand and buying their oil & gas at 6X normal price on the other.

Smedley Butler in his book/paper "War Is A Racket" got it exactly right.

All you binary thinking pro-Ukraine or pro-Russian fans need to review your stance.

See: https://ia802605.us.archive.org/29/item ... Racket.pdf

All wars are a stupid waste of money but if we don't stand up to bullies the bullying just gets worse and taking one country, or a part of it, just leads to taking another country ad infinitum. We saw that with Hitler and we are seeing the same with Putin.

China is doing the same thing as Hitler/Putin in the South China Sea where it is bullying all its small neighbouring countries by moving into the whole area of the sea right up to other country's 12 mile limits. It remains to be seen if enough has been done in the area to deter China from further expansion and resource stealing.

[clv101]

What did you make of the Jeffrey Sachs interview, Ken?

Firstly, the interviewer, Johan Allers, definitely had an agenda which Sachs agreed with, which was definitely anti American and entirely uncritical of Putin, hence the interview.

Yes, absolutely, that was the point of it. They were challenging what they saw as the one sided, entirely uncritical of the west, narrative we get from the western media.

[Vortex2]

And in the West people who displease the President don't fall out of windows or commit suicide by taking exotic poisons, even when living abroad.

We may need to revisit this should Assange ever end up in a US court.