Ukraine

[Gissie]

Ill bet you've never been freer, living in New Zealand.

Shows what you know about down here. :lol:

 

[Keith]

You do realise the 'free world' as you put it, is a small minority of the whole world? Yet we seem to think we have the right to force this 'freedom' onto others, by waging war if necessary.

The only reason other countries haven't stepped in is because they don't have the stomach for it. There would be a huge backlash if the citizens of those countries had to go without something. The nuke threat is just a nice excuse.

"Hey Ukraine, good going. We would love to join you but Putin might use a nuke on us."

"Really, he might use one on us, but we are fighting anyway."

"Yeah, but you know, we are different."

Sorry to break it too you, but the nuke threat is the only reason this hasn't quickly escalated to a much larger scale war.

I'm sorry you don't understand, or cant comprehend that, throwing around nukes messes up the entire planet. 

Everyone in the world is walking on eggshells at the moment.

 

[Keith]

Shows what you know about down here. :lol:

If your not happy wherever you might be, why don't you simply move?

 

[Sailbydate]

I’m afraid on that, you are misinformed. Germany, for example, is heavily dependent on Russian gas, which continues to flow. Financial sanctions have been constrained by the need to provide a route for gas to be paid for. The UK has announced oil imports from Russia will be ended but not until 2023. 

"United States President Joe Biden has imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the United Kingdom said it would phase out imports by the end of 2022".

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/9/us-bans-russian-oil-what-does-this-mean-for-oil-prices

 

[dogwatch]

You said Europe had cut off supplies. Afaik USA is not in Europe.

 

[Sailbydate]

Afaik USA is not in Europe.

Prolly just a matter of time. ;-)

Europe will follow the USA and the UK. Without NATO direct military intervention, they have little choice, no?

"Washington (AFP) – The United States said Sunday it was in "active discussions" with European nations about banning Russian oil imports as further economic penalty against Moscow for invading Ukraine, but stopped short of announcing an outright boycott". *

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220306-us-europe-mulling-bans-on-russian-oil-imports-blinken-says

*The USA announced their boycott, today (yesterday). Things move fast when the bombs start falling.

 

[Erwankerauzen]

Hungary and some Baltic countries rely for 90% on Russian energy

Germany between 45 and 55% 

France 17%

 

[Erwankerauzen]

USA import 1.3% of Russian Oil it is around 3% of the USA needs

 

[Sailbydate]

Hungary and some Baltic countries rely for 90% on Russian energy

Germany between 45 and 55% 

France 17%

A big ask for them to refuse the supply then. So to the dilemma  - do they stay warm in winter and fund, Putin's appetite for Empire building? 

 

[enigmatically2]

A big ask for them to refuse the supply then. So to the dilemma  - do they stay warm in winter and fund, Putin's appetite for Empire building? 

Germany has already said it won't ban the oil and gas supplies from Russia - it needs them too much. The states further east even more so.

UK will phase them out by end of 2022 (which may seem slow relative to the war, but at least its a commitment unlike the rest of Europe.

Of course there is always the potential that Russia takes the decision out of Europe's hands

 

[enigmatically2]

have you not realised the "free world" isn't !

they fight to decide which members of the cleptocracy will "own" the resources

Do you have the freedom to form your own political party?

Do you have the freedom to vote for who you want (including the above)?

Do you have the freedom to criticise your political leaders?

Do you have the ability to earn a bigger share of the resources?

All of those mark out the free world, a world banned to many.

 

[dogwatch]

A perceptive piece if you can make it past the paywall. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/-putin-is-bored-

 

[barfy]

Slightly more than that. I knew a married couple, neither with us now. He was a Lancaster bomber navigator and was part of a raid on Dresden. He later considered it a war crime, as do I. Of course as crew in wartime, they had their orders and that was that. She had a complicated war as a refugee, eventually settling in the London where they began a relationship that lasted five decades. She was in Dresden at the time of the bombing and he might have killed her, the mother of his children.

My grandfather did two tours as bomb/nav. Rumour has it he dropped in the ocean rather than Dresden.

 

[barfy]

If your not happy wherever you might be, why don't you simply move?

Shhh, you seem to have riled up bitter troll..again.

 

[Rennmaus]

A big ask for them to refuse the supply then. So to the dilemma  - do they stay warm in winter and fund, Putin's appetite for Empire building? 

And again there seems to be no WIT to end the imports. What consequences would that have? Maybe people would be fine with some restrictions, as long as we don't carry on feeding the aggressor. 

Grrrrrr, so frustrating that nobody thinks out of the box. 

 

[dogwatch]

And again there seems to be no WIT to end the imports.

Sorry, does WIT stand for something?

 

[Rennmaus]

Sorry, does WIT stand for something?

What it takes. 

By the way, we're now paying more than $8,35 per gallon for E10. 

 

[dogwatch]

What it takes. 

By the way, we're now paying more than $8,35 per gallon for E10. 

Thanks. Given that I'm barely going anywhere due to Covid, the fuel price doesn't hurt too much. Heating on the other hand......

 

[Steam Flyer]

Short version: a private citizen backs a truck through the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin, gets reluctantly arrested for dangerous driving. The embassy staff are jumping up and down, screaming blue murder about this “criminal act”. 

Not so nice when it’s done to you, is it, Vlad?

Long version here.

Love this story.

- DSK

 

[idontwan2know]

Central and Eastern Europe may be paying a lot more for gas next winter, but people in Indonesia may be starving. Ukraine and Russia combine to make up 26% of the world's wheat supply. If they miss the spring/summer planting season, there will be problems.

Wheat futures are up about 50% last I looked.