Western dependency on Russian gas will only strengthen Putin’s hand
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky says the election of Donald Trump in America will hasten the outcome of his country’s war with Russia – but to whose advantage?
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House,” he said. “This is their approach, their promise to their citizens.”
But while Mr Trump and his advisers have been keen to pare back America’s massive military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine it is still unclear what else they have in mind. Mr Zelensky said he had held a “constructive exchange” with the president-elect, who has long claimed he could end the conflict “within a day”.
That would be only possible if Russia was given some of the spoils of their illegal aggression in the form of land already occupied. Vladimir Putin is not about to withdraw with nothing to show for the thousands of dead Russian soldiers and the damage inflicted on his economy.
The Ukrainians are anxious to “Trump-proof” support by convincing outgoing President Joe Biden to make military and financial commitments before he leaves office. Mr Zelensky has had some early success with the long-awaited granting of permission to fire long-range missiles into Russian territory.
Yet the enthusiasm of Ukraine’s backers is waning. Moreover, even as Moscow launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure, it emerged from the Cop29 climate change summit that deals are being done to ensure Russian gas continues to flow into Europe by clandestine means. In order to get round sanctions and use existing pipelines due to be closed next month, it would simply be rebranded as energy from Azerbaijan.
If European nations continue to subsidise Putin’s war machine what leverage is there to end this war on Ukraine’s terms?
Zelensky seems positive about Trump, so let’s hope he isn’t being fooled by the orange felon.
He probably feels that he must make statements like this to massage his ego.
But even if Trumpkov is responsive to this type of approach, there are senior team members who are not.
When a senior political figure works tirelessly for a murderous fascist regime, it’s immaterial whether the work is paid or voluntary. Gabbardova, Brainworm, VanZkov, Bannon etc are active agents for ruZZia.
Ivan Muskovy decided to buy influence via his “Z” platform. It worked fantastically for him: it got his man elected and simultaneously made him the most influential player in US politics. Putin cronies Vadim Moshkovich and Petr Aven are the key investors. That makes Muskovy an unambiguous ruZZian agent of influence.
It’s just too bad that so many Americans have very little intelligence and are thus easily manipulated.
One thing president-elect has promised is that he will drill, drill, drill, putting the U.S in even better position to export. Keystone pipeline may well be revived also.
President Biden’s officials have issued more permits on federal lands in his first year than were issued in the Trump administration’s first three years.
Only 10% of all U.S. drilling takes place on federal land, but the Bureau of Land Management confirms that more than 9000 drilling permits on public land are currently approved. Not all would be productive if they were developed, and none of them could start producing immediately.
Approving more drilling permits isn’t going to lead to more production any time soon. U.S. oil producers are holding back production because it creates higher prices, that are driving record profits.
Despite all that, gas prices in the USA have doubled since Bidenov was elected.
Nothing explicitly to do with Biden, we were importing lots of ruSSian gas for decades.
Cheap gas in 2020 – Wow, it’s almost like some massive global event caused gas prices to drop due to demand…. Hmmmmm what happened in March 2020 again?
Besides a huge drop in demand caused by the pandemic, there was a russia/Saudi spat when they both flooded the market with so much oil there were not enough tankers to store it all. Sub $7 a barrel.
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2102E6/
The price at the pump is driven by supply and demand. The occupant of the White House has very little to do with it.