Posted on 03/09/2022 8:18:04 AM PST by Mariner
Germany has emerged as the main barrier to tougher sanctions against Russia, threatening to spark a rift in western efforts to punish the Kremlin.
Europe’s largest economy is the main power resisting attempts to add Sberbank to a list of Russian financial institutions cut off from the Swift payments system, Bloomberg reports.
Sberbank, which is Russia’s largest lender, was left off the initial list as part of a decision to protect energy-related transactions, but calls are now mounting for the EU to tighten its sanctions.
It’s not Germany’s only area of resistance, either. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly opposed sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, saying deliveries of oil and gas were of “essential importance”.
The US and Britain have since announced plans to ban all imports of Russian crude oil.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Now Germany (and several others in the background) are saying no more.
And the fissure is really a chasm that risks the entire alliance.
Vlad’s goal WAS to drive a wedge in NATO
Good. Kill NATO
Much of this Ukraine Crisis has been about keeping Germany on the NATO plantation.
I believe that is his prime motivation here.
The Germans have developed a primordial fear of poking the Russian bear.
They didn’t have much fun in Stalingrad.
If America ever “Drained the Swamp” I expect NATO would be gone.
NATO IS the swamp.
Russia can turn off the natural gas to Germany at any time, freezing the Germans and shutting down their natural gas converted power generation plants.
So with one mouse click, Russia can turn off Germany’s heat AND lights.
Germany and much of the European Union have a very delicate balancing act going on here. They want the energy, they NEED the energy, but their largest provider is the Russian Federation, and the Russians can cut off the spigot at any moment, leaving most of Europe to starve, freezing in the dark.
In one swell foop, this can all be reversed. Even the ANNOUNCEMENT by the Biden regime now squatting in the White Hut would cause a great reordering of priorities for Putin & Company. Then with the announcement, follow up with action on rescinding and removing obstacles to exercise of the existing permits, including opening up the Keystone pipeline, and such necessary infrastructure changes as reactivating the LNG shipment ports to supply Europe and other regions with enough natural gas so the Russian Federation really feels the pinch, and no longer has the ready cash flow to fund predatory expeditions into neighboring countries.
The present state of turmoil does not have to prevail.
We should not be involved in this conflict. Let Germany and the rest of Europe deal with Europe.
If they don’t want to participate, why are we?
“The present state of turmoil does not have to prevail.”
In the 1-3 year implementation window of your recommendations, prices in the US will double...or more.
People will not put up with that for more than 10 minutes.
Europe will be 5X.
The US should close every German base and forward deploy the units to Poland, Hungary and Romania.
“If they don’t want to participate, why are we?”
The greatest fear of the deep state swamp surrounding NATO is irrelevancy. What would Liz Cheney, Alexander Lindeman and John Bolton then do?
Good, get rid of NATO
“The US should close every German base and forward deploy the units to Poland, Hungary and Romania.”
Better yet, just bring them home.
Germany don’t want their people to freeze to death in winter.
Dementia Joe is happy to push his “green agenda” at the cost of super high gas and heating bills for Americans.
Energy independence is not a luxury—it is a strategic necessity.
Many nations are about to learn this the hard way.
Putin has made that impossible. We are going to have to put more armored and mechanized Brigade Combat Teams in Europe now.
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