Free Republic

Russia’s gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will not resume in full until the “collective west” lifts sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has said. Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, blamed EU, UK, and Canadian sanctions for Russia’s failure to deliver gas through the key pipeline, which delivers gas to Germany from St Petersburg via the Baltic sea. “The problems pumping gas came about because of the sanctions western countries introduced against our country and several companies,” Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency. “There are no other reasons that...

Simple poll. Show of hands. Should we be involved or not involved in the Russia/Ukraine War?

LONDON (Reuters) - The Ukraine war shows that the West's dominance is coming to an end as China rises to superpower status in partnership with Russia at one of the most significant inflection points in centuries, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said."We are coming to the end of Western political and economic dominance," Blair said in a lecture entitled "After Ukraine, What Lessons Now for Western Leadership?" according to a text of the speech to a forum supporting the alliance between the United States and Europe at Ditchley Park west of London.

The world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, more than doubled its imports of oil for power generation from Russia in the second quarter. According to Reuters news agency, citing Refinitiv date, 642,000 tons of oil reached the Kingdom through Russian and Estonian ports from Apri to June. That equates to 48,000 barrels (159 liters) per day (bpd). In the same period last year, the amount was 320,000 tons. Saudi Arabia uses the imported oil to generate electricity and can then export its own crude oil... Today US President Joe Biden is expected in Saudi Arabia, a traditional ally...

Ottowa defies Ukraine’s objections to return of equipment for Nord Stream 1 pipeline, saying it needs to support Europe’s access to ‘reliable and affordable energy’ Canada will return a repaired Russian turbine to Germany that it needs for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, despite objections from Ukraine, as the sanctions regime came up against the energy crisis sparked by the war. Canada’s minister of natural resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, said in a statement on Saturday the government was issuing a “time-limited and revocable permit” to exempt the return of turbines from its Russian sanctions, to support “Europe’s ability to access...