Posted on 03/31/2022 9:27:35 AM PDT by RandFan
Vladimir Putin today threatened to turn off Europe's gas supplies from tomorrow if countries refuse to pay in roubles.
The Russian President, announcing a decree in televised remarks, said foreign buyers would have to 'open rouble accounts in Russian banks' which can be used to pay for 'gas delivered starting from tomorrow'.
'If such payments are not made, we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either - that is, existing contracts will be stopped,' he said
The move has been seen as a bid to bolster the Russian currency and economy, hit by Western sanctions, in order to fund the war. But Western companies and governments have rejected the move as a breach of existing contracts, which are set in euros or dollars.
The European Union relies on Russia for 40 per cent of its gas consumption, costing the bloc £340million (€400million) a day in contracts which are mostly settled in euros or dollars. According to Gazprom, 58 per cent of its sales of natural gas to Europe and other countries as of January 27 were settled in euros. US dollars accounted for about 39 per cent of gross sales and sterling around three per cent.
A Kremlin decree published today sets out that contracts will be stopped if buyers do not sign up to the new conditions, including opening rouble accounts in Russian banks. The buyers can still pay in foreign currency and authorise the bank to sell that for roubles, which are placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck rejected Putin's the demands as an unacceptable breach of contract
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Imagine, Putin dealing with the West like a hard-headed businessman! The former KGB lawyer is almost like a capitalist. Putin’s dealing with people the way way we used to (and still do when we’re at our best).
You are correct. Putin obviously saw that FR was mocking his weakness and is now changing his mind lol.
Vlad, you need the Euros. Just sell it to China, KGB boy.
> The last time the us went down this road was in the late 30’s when we seized japan’s assets, shut down sale of oil and metal supplies, threatening to destroy Japan’s economy. <
I never thought of it that way. It doesn’t excuse Pearl Harbor (and I know you weren’t trying to do that). Nevertheless, it is an interesting - and perhaps instructive - analogy.
As a side note, I once took a political science course where the instructor (an anti-communist, by the way) asked us to examine the Cold War from the Soviet point of view. It was quite the eye-opener.
It’s kinda like playing poker. You shouldn’t try to figure out what your opponent’s best move is. You should try to figure out what your opponent THINKS his best move is.
“Or buy more electric cars. Build solar collectors, wind turbines, buy heavier coats and blankets! Then putin can suck it!!”
Here’s a clue for you. All your unicorn electric shit requires some form of petroleum to produce it. So suck on that moron.
Ruble trading down a good bit from yesterday. Evidently those putting millions of their own money on the line think Pooty’s temper tantrum is a NON STARTER.
Hey, the West holds up Green Energy as their Holy Grail…and gender dystopia as it’s core values.
Let the West live on Green Energy and gender assignment surgery.
It’s a civilization in as much need of total destruction as any other on the ash heap of history.
President Trump offered them an alternative, but they decided to go with the Russian pipeline. Now they are paying the price.
The left always thinks like that. So morally bankrupt!!! Blame the police for responding to the BLM looters and burners. Blame the homeowners for protecting their property. Blame a young kid with an AR 15 because scumbags were after him and causing mayhem.
Hard to feel sorry for the EU.
Looks healthier now!
When they say tomorrow (April 1st), I think they are talking about April deliveries. I don’t think that it means making a ruble payment tomorrow, or having the gas shut off tomorrow.
I’d guess that they mean starting with the April bill, payment has to be converted into rubles. I don’t know how they would address exchange rate variations or the additional transaction costs.
In the short term (this year), Putin has the Europeans over a barrel. They will likely seek some sort of fig leaf method of washing the sale through an intermediary - unless they have magically grown a big pair somehow, in which case they would likely take a big economic shock this year.
Those are the eyes of someone who is dead on the inside. You see those same dead, black souless eyes on depraved serial killers. That is all Putin ever was.
Shut it down, Vlad ... let’s see how well the European Greenies get along with out the evil petroleum ...
Then Brandon put the stop on the pipeline from Israel through Cyprus and Greece.
And since we can’t see russia’s propaganda, we are prevented from gaining insight into the image they think they should project, and any slips they might make, because like the US pilots in Vietnam who slipped gestures into the propaganda released by the North Vietnamese, People who disagree with what they are being told to say can get the message out.
Well going back to Bush II they were warned, and we begged them to man up the NATO budget but they did this to themselves. DJT tried to move them from their hard green fantasities.
Germany has achieved 105% self sufficient green energy in theory because they built a green economy with windmills, no nuclear, no coal, and all renewables... but it is in theory only because 105% assumes the sun shines all the time and the wind always blows, however when the sun goes down the wind diminishes. Germany does not have a way to save the energy for at night or on winter days months after optiminal summer! In order that Germany have enough batteries the world would have find more nickle and other rare earth metals than now exist on planet earth.
Russia and OPEC are moving into a gloabal alligeance with China as Biden tries to get Israel bombed Jew-free by dumping our allies in the SWA for Iran, Al Quaeda, ISIS, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Helbolla, etc. New to the democrats, Iran isn’t leaving it proxy status with Russia for the USA, but she will bomb Israel and the big Satan seated in Washington (Joe that means you). There is nothing about giving Iran nukes that can help the world. Maybe the democrats hate Israel so much more than usual because she is now too an exporter of energy and builder of equipment for oil platforms, etc. Keep crapping on Israel and you might find the next 50 years worth of Microsoft Microchips being sent to Russia.
I don’t think this article can be based on information available the past 72 hours or so.
War is hell, isn’t it... a suspension of laws and treaty obligations, most contracts but not for patients strangely enough. I don’t think Russia is going to own GM, Ford (WWII royalities paid quarterly thru out the war) or DOW Chemical (WWI) for gunpowder as happened in WWI.
Russia is somewhat backward but somewhat immune from the same problems the West has with production and mass consumption.
Nope, Russia is giving Germany just enough rope to continue paying in Euros which will be converted to the Ruble (Rubble based on Gold). The rubble of war isn’t what we thought the Ruble would be at this point going back a month ago. We thought Russia would have a currency crisis more potent than today, but we shall see.
I understand as a run up to agreement that the Ruble is back to pre-war (sp op) valuations so it is hard to understand for some just reading this article. Putin will not cut the oil, gas, or coal but he might cut fertilizer exports, as he and Germany worked this out two days ago. Fertilizer is the wildcard Putin holds above all else. Putin will keep the junkie needle in Germany’s arm, but he might twist their arm so to speak.
Germany will take years to replace Russian energy if cut off. Putin is wise enough to put a face saving agreement in place for Germany. They pay for the conversion costs of converting Euros to either Gold or Rubles after paying. Putin isn’t going to force them to start looking immediately for new resources, but he isn’t about teasing them.
Also, Putin isn’t go to sign contracts going forward allowing her oil exports to go to nations they cut off in third party trading for too long either. Putin literally has the West by their own hanging tree.
Between that incident and the Steel Dosier being fake, the democrats are now removing their Hillary 2016 Left-tard bumper stickers too!
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