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Uh, Sec. Rubio did not mention ANY foreign country in his remarks.

When it comes to President Trump, the blizzard of new reports that he is now saying sanctions and sending
more weapons to Ukraine may be necessary to get Putin to negotiate should be far more interesting to you.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-838642

FWIW, IMO, present level sanctions and weapons shipments will not be enough to force Pooty to the table.

Trump’s declaration of an “Energy Emergency” is even more curious. Energy prices in the US are moderately high, but not crazy high, except in states like CA where they’ve basically screwed themselves. Unleaded gasoline is running $2.70-$2.80 near me, this morning (a small jump up). Predictions of future oil pricing are all over the map, even within the same articles (example below), but the best guess is no drastic jumps, unless the US pursues policies to force a lot of Iranian and Russian oil and gas and refined products off the global market, while failing to backfill supplies with our own production. Is the “Energy Emergency” a tacit admission that drastic backfilling will be needed?

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Oil-Prices-Fall-Ahead-Of-Trump-Inauguration.html

Certainly, if energy prices go UP, even modestly, the 2026 US elections will be a bloodbath for US conservatives... :-(

$3.89 for regular here.
Diesel at 3.40
Are you picking yours up at the refinery?

When it comes to President Trump, the blizzard of new reports that he is now saying sanctions and sending more weapons to Ukraine

Instead of reading foreign reports that were written before Trump's inauguration and speculate what Trump will do in Ukraine, you should read the Executive Order Trump signed two days ago here:

REEVALUATING AND REALIGNING UNITED STATES FOREIGN AID
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/

"The United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values."

"All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign countries and implementing non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and contractors pending reviews of such programs for programmatic efficiency and consistency with United States foreign policy, to be conducted within 90 days of this order."

Ukraine, nor any other country, will not receive foreign aid of any kind (money, weapons, etc.) from the United States for the next 90 days.

Trump’s declaration of an “Energy Emergency” is even more curious. Energy prices in the US are moderately high, but not crazy high, except in states like CA where they’ve basically screwed themselves. Unleaded gasoline is running $2.70-$2.80 near me, this morning (a small jump up). Predictions of future oil pricing are all over the map, even within the same articles (example below), but the best guess is no drastic jumps, unless the US pursues policies to force a lot of Iranian and Russian oil and gas and refined products off the global market, while failing to backfill supplies with our own production. Is the “Energy Emergency” a tacit admission that drastic backfilling will be needed?

Why is this a mystery to you?

President Trump has made it very clear, multiple times, that the cost of energy is the main driver of inflation which he is trying to control.

The real mystery is why you find this curious?!?!