As Western officials continue to ratchet up threats for sanctions on Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the move could “boomerang” and hit the sanctioners, particularly in the European Union, much harder than Russia itself.
Lavrov warned the US push for sanctions was “poorly thought out,” a comment that reflects EU concerns about the plan as well, since many EU nations are highly dependent on Russian natural gas.
The natural gas concern has fueled calls for the US to open up its exporting of gas, though the White House downplayed that prospect, and says that they are several years away from allowing significant exports of natural gas.
Ironically, Western officials that have been pledging billions of dollars to bail out the Ukraine economy in the wake of regime change are going to be finding a lot of that money going to Russia to pay bills owed to major Russian companies. Gazprom alone is owed nearly $2 billion for natural gas shipments to the Ukraine.
Proximity and historical ties make Russia by far the most important business partner for the Ukraine, though the recent protest movement has caused many Russian companies to dramatically reduce the estimated value of their business there.
Its not like punitive and ILLEGAL sanctions on Iran and Iraq.
Russia can fight back and impose their own sanctions on the EU and America.
Lets see who blinks first.
When the Russians pull the plug on those gas lines for being delinquent on their payments, is the US going to pick up the tab in the form of sanctions? Yeah, here is two more billion, pay the Russians, but remember this is a secret……stay tuned for more bull***t.
When the Russians pull the plug on those gas lines for being delinquent on their payments, is the US going to pick up the tab in the form of sanctions? Yeah, here is two more billion, pay the Russians, but remember this is a secret……stay tuned for more bull***t.
Russia can crash the dollar. Crash the dollar and you crash the economy
Well…(feigned indignation here)… I'm shocked that the term "poorly thought out" and the US Congress would be linked together. Shocked!!! Idiots.
For the reasons mentioned in the article, I don't think there will be any serious EU sanctions. Also, the big winner in all this is the EU. The US is discredited, the neocons are discredited, Israel is discredited, NATO is discredited, Putin is discredited but the EU has been drawn closer together and those who say "we don't need the EU, we've got the US" have been proved wrong. Short of Rissia applying to join the EU what could be better?
The US posturing forgets that the Russians can veto anything in the UN security council, nothing the US will do will be legal, don't want to trade fine we will turn off the Gasky, we will turn of the Oil as well. You are not paying it!
Lets see no power generation, no cooking, no heat, no transportation, sky high petroleum products even in America! You don't think the price spikes will not be in America do you!
Not well thought out the US economy is on a knife edge still and they want to cut off the handle!
By the way, isn't the U.S., as an alternative to shipping Afghan War supplies through Pakistan, shipping some of its supplies through Mother Russia? (Erm, for the time being, that is.)