Russia doesn’t need an army to bring Ukraine to its knees, all it needs to do is double the price of the natural gas it sends to the Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin has in fact already done.
The European Union has vowed to help Ukraine pay for its newly high-priced gas, which will eventually bring Europe to its economic knees too.
The Obama administration could save Ukraine and Europe from this fate by allowing, in fact, encouraging, U.S. exports of natural gas to the troubled region. It could also approve the XL pipeline and other measures to increase U.S. oil production and exports, thereby hurting Russia’s oil-dependent economy. Europe could help itself by allowing fracking so that it can become energy-independent.
Why is none of this happening? Because Obama and Europe’s leaders have bowed to environmental interests. By doing so, they have also bowed to Vladimir Putin’s interests, the most important of which is to maintain a monopoly on gas and oil going to Ukraine and Europe.
Is Vladimir Putin any more guilty for taking advantage of its oil and gas monopoly, which America and Europe are allowing it to do, than Standard Oil once was for taking advantage of its similar monopoly, which the U.S. government once permitted?
Or are the guilty parties Obama and the leaders of Europe for enabling Vladimir Putin’s actions by their refusal to help Ukraine become more energy-independent of Russia?
Gazprom charges much lower prices than Europe can get anywhere else. Europe isn't addicted to Russian gas - it's addicted to cheap Russian gas. Even a doubling makes Russian gas cheaper than that available from anywhere else. Europe refuses to use coal, which it has ample stores of, and is cheaper than natural gas, because of the greenies. Ukraine has plenty of coal, but the country has a Soviet-style economy that prevents foreigners from benefiting from helping to extract it.