Posted on 07/05/2022 7:18:54 PM PDT by Mount Athos
Western leaders are beginning to recognize, if not openly acknowledge, that their unprecedented sanctions against Moscow are hurting their own countries’ economies without significantly crimping the Kremlin’s war machine.
The fallout from the U.S.-led sanctions on Russia has ended the era of cheap oil and gas and contributed to surging inflation, supply-chain disruptions and a looming recession in the West. In poorer countries, by sending fuel and food prices higher, the sanctions are threatening livelihoods and political stability.
As the West is now discovering, sanctions against a large, powerful state not only entail significant costs for the countries imposing them, but they also reward nations that refuse to enforce them. Indeed, the sanctions have delivered Russia a windfall from high-price energy exports that no Western-sponsored price cap can significantly roll back.
Claims that “Russia is losing” and that “Putin is running out of options to avoid defeat” have given way to open concern that, despite the unparalleled sanctions on Moscow and the frenzied arming of Ukraine, Russia will end up gaining permanent control over sizable Ukrainian territories, thereby unambiguously demonstrating that aggression works.
Western leaders clearly overestimated their capacity to undermine the Russian economy and Putin’s hold on power, while underestimating the resilience of a country that historically has endured extraordinary economic and human toll (including in World War II) to pursue strategic objectives.
With European gas prices already six times higher than a year ago, a possible Russian cutoff of gas supplies to punish the EU for sanctions will compound the already-grim European economic situation.
Meanwhile, spiraling international food prices are contributing to an alarming hunger problem in poor countries. But worse in global impact is the sanctions-linked disruption in supplies of fertilizers and wheat from the world’s No. 1 exporter of both, Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
The United States is a joke country leading the other joke countries of Europe.
Burn in Hell Russian troll.
Yep. Under Biden, this is true.
Been on FR longer than you.
OK WEF clown. Go and trans the children of the world, you imperialist pig.
I was at the MFJ in Oct. 1998.
What on Earth could this person be talking about??
Sure, Russia has a war machine, but they have not been using it. What Russia HAS been using is an expeditionary force including large numbers of outright volunteers along with the militaries of the two breakaway republics. Russia is not mobilized for war or technically even at war, this is basically a police action by their standards.
Ukraine on the other hand is fully mobilized and has now begun conscripting everything that moves in the land including old people and women. Must really suck to be a Nazi any more...
Don’t know what MFJ is. I joined FR in Oct of 98.
Six months ago we would all have been very happy about Western Europe getting dealt a harsh but not fatal wakeup event to get them to start taking the Russian threat seriously and quit depending on them and wind for their energy existence and winter survival.
It is good for our NATO/European allies to have to deal with this.
One thing is sure, the truth will surface and what countries are doing regarding Ukraine is causing them to reap what they have sown.
It is astounding a thoroughly corrupt, backwater country with no strategic value to the USA has become an excuse for Western Europe and the USA to deliberately swallow a suicidal poison.
Boy, they are really “bringing the pain” (to themselves}.
That will teach the Rooskies.
ya think!!
The boomeranging suicide sanctions need to be ended immediately.
Check out this headline; Watch: Rhode Island State Sen. Twerks Upside Down in Bikini for Votes: ‘A Promised Senator Thirst Trap’
Now tell me the US is still a serious country
And every one of Free Republic’s stupid assed neocons will claim it’s worth it to harm every American and every European in order to virtue signal an attempt to harm Russia.
Blinded by hatred and stupid.
Old FReeper, new account. Been here since 2004.
You call my country a joke? Screw you.
I don’t think there is any denying US taxpayers are helping finance Russian’s war on Ukraine.
$5.00+ a gallon for gasoline refined from oil purchased from the Russia, to me is a little hard to swallow.
I suspect even harder for most Europeans.
A lot of civilizations commit suicide
The sanctions have created blow-back. Biden has caused this inflation and not recession due to out of control spending, bad sanctions and not trying to find a diplomatic solution. And the lies coming from this administration and the distractions they project to seduce the public. It is the ultimate propaganda. Here in the US, our empire is falling, and the emperor has no clothes
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.