Posted on 06/30/2022 12:47:09 PM PDT by BeauBo
The admission into Nato of... Sweden and Finland... sevenfold increase in Nato forces on high alert, the establishment of the first permanent US operational headquarters (V Corps) on the alliance’s eastern flank in Poland, the increase in the number of US troops in the region, or a new 10-year strategy that dispenses of any notion of partnership with Russia...
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, could not have been more blunt in his criticism of Putin, or clearer that avenues to a ceasefire are closed...
Biden promised another $800m in defence assistance in the next few days, including a new advanced air defence system. The UK, the second biggest supplier of military aid, agreed to spend another €1.15bn of military aid to Ukraine...
A further “recovery summit”, dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine, will be held in Lugano on 4-5 July, which Zelenskiy himself is slated to attend.
On weapons, before the summit, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, gave an inventory of Ukraine’s needs: 1,000 155mm-calibre howitzers, 300 multiple-launch rocket systems, 500 tanks, 2,000 armoured vehicles, and 1,000 drones.
Ukrainian forces, officials say, have lost 700 armoured vehicles in the last three months, and replacements are urgently needed. Both France and Spain have responded with the offer of tanks or armoured personnel carriers...
The proposals from the US to cut the price of Russian oil, and from Italy to curb the price of Russian piped gas – discussed at length at the G7 – were probably the two most significant ideas to emerge from the summits.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
The gist seems to be that a new Cold War between the West and Russia is solidifying, and that Russia will be excluded from the West. The West collectively seems to be committed to bleeding Russia in Ukraine, and economically, for the time being
The West collectively are committed to making sure Ukraine is ground to dust as their proxy in fighting Russia.
I called up both my natural gas supplier and local gasoline station and told them I was only going to pay a set amount for their products.
I think they're still laughing a couple of days later...
Great, more U.S. tax dollars spent everywhere but on a border wall, or energy infrastructure or more police
This is the insanity of Democrat and liberal madness and the RINOs and MICs that support the delusion.
Ukraine is one of the bloodlands.
“Bloodlands europe between hitler and stalin”
Would this work like Biden's proposal to cut the price of U.S. oil?
It’s all about the slush, baby.
“Western” taxpayer money is being sent to the Ukraine to be kicked back to the “western” politicians.
“Russia will be excluded from the West”
Russia chose to exclude herself. She had the chance to heal that divide, and chose to go the opposite route.
“Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, gave an inventory of Ukraine’s needs: 1,000 155mm-calibre howitzers”
That is more than the entire US Army and Marine Corps owns. Who is this wish list dictating tool?
What’s so great about the West?
“Would this work like Biden’s proposal to cut the price of U.S. oil?”
I doubt that it is going to work significantly, and not in the long run, but that was among what they talked about during the G7 summit.
The big economic lever is Russian oil and gas exports. Until Europe has substantially weaned itself from those, there is not much more they can likely do (existing sanctions are having significant effects on Russian industries, like manufacturing, banking, advertising and airlines, but oil and gas are the big fish).
They are on a crash program to cut off their Russian oil and gas imports, especially through the end of this year (goal to reduce gas by 2/3rds and oil by 90% by then), but this Winter will likely be the real test of both sides wills and abilities.
If Europe meets those reduction goals (they have a funded plan to achieve them), and gets through the Winter (despite expected sabotage and Russian countermeasures), they will then be in a position to squeeze other Russian customers (India and China) with secondary sanctions. So far, Russia has been significantly successful in shifting oil exports to India and China, as Europe has reduced their purchases. Gas is inherently harder for Russia to get to other buyers.
Several producers have started pumping more, and a flurry of long term supply and development deals have been signed. Tens of billions of euros have been committed already. Higher prices seem to have finally gotten American producers off the sidelines to start committing their resources to increase production.
A big factor is going to be the Global economy, and its effect on oil and gas demand. A Global recession would reduce demand for oil and gas, reducing prices and speeding the cutoff of Russian imports. Demand is already being reduced in the West, due to the high prices.
Ultimately, the market forces of supply and demand will have their day on prices.
“What’s so great about the West?”
Oh nothing. Unless you like freedom, prosperity, stability, military dominance, literacy, opportunity, things like that.
Maybe 20 years ago that was the case.
Oh, so there aren’t millions of people risking death to illegally immigrate to the West anymore then, I guess.
They want the freebies, but they will find in the end they’ll create the hellholes they fled from.
“they’ll create the hellholes they fled from”
So the West must still be better than the hellholes they fled from, is what I’m hearing.
Biden’s weakness is a hurdle. He lifted sanctions against Russia and pretty much ignored Ukraine in 2021. There has been no pressure applied to India or other countries supporting Russia’s war, EU has done pretty much what it wants, etc. This war would have been over had the EU told Putin to eat his gas in February. Currently he pays his soldiers directly out of the EU funded Gazprom bank accounts. Those funds should have been shut down long ago and the Russian war economy bankrupted.
“...Biden promised another $800m in defence assistance in the next few days,...”
more and more for Ukraine and Europe as he seeks the complete ruination of the USA.
“On finance, Ukraine is gobbling up an extraordinary $5bn a month as its economy and exports degrade, but the US is prepared to underwrite this. Biden promised another $800m in defence assistance in the next few days”
This is just insane, very few Americans on either the left or the right would approve of this. Who exactly is calling the shots? Whoever it is obviously doesn’t give a damn about what the people think.
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