Is America the Real Victim of Anti-Russia Sanctions?

a reply to: DBCowboy

" Then the US needs to stop exporting food and we should feed ourselves.

I'm so ####ing sick to see the US dependent on everyone when we have the resources to take care of ourselves. "


Is that You Donald ? PLEASE COME BACK !

The USA is isolationist geographically, and we could close the borders and ports within three months with only economic suffering. The people who would literally suffer in such case are EU for need of our LNG.

As far as China's demeanor toward Putin, it has changed. They no longer are encouraging Russia and instead are using the situation to proclaim their own apprehensive nature toward war and appear magnanimous politically (also helps they've always gotten their teeth kicked in at it). Their enthusiasm was exhausted after the second week because not only upsetting the agricultural markets they vitally depended on as well, it has upset many of Beijing's wealthy ties in other regards. Putin has a dozen men worth their salt, Xi has nobody. His trust is tissue paper thin, and now he knows Putin took him for a sleigh ride for Russia's own internal propaganda reasons.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
a reply to: Subaeruginosa
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Basically what it is boiling down to is Ukraine doesn't have years. Their forces have been decimated many times over.

The west holding strong will not change the tide of the war and if the west can't incentivize Russia with lifting sanctions for some sort of peace deal it will be to the ruin of Ukraine.

Off in the weeds, but I'll bite. They used to say the same thing about Afghanistan. The USSR went home empty handed. After 10 years. It took us 20, but we were only ever there to be a terrorist magnet in the first place.

You have failed to secure air superiority or maintain proper supply lines at any point. The landscape heavily favors bombardment, anti-tank, and unconventional warfare to the defenders- both of which surpass Russians in proficiency in any fair fight. In Afghanistan people live in relatively consolidated groups, this is not true of Ukraine. It is farmland. To truly conquer them be ready for two steps forward and two steps back the entire way, all the while bleeding logistical hurdles. You have how many military personele? Around three million says Google. It will take two million of them, tomorrow. That's even if you can find all the USSR equipment, apparently the proper fighting gear your soldiers were supposed to have they have since sold when it wasn't bolted down because they are paid like dogs and your military has no tiered oversight protocols.

Since Russia seems to practice bombarding vestiges of civilization and then shooting anyone left who did not flee because they must be a fighter, do not expect to win any hearts and minds. Ukraine knows that surrender will surely not save their country from The Bear, so why would they? Two million people have left Ukraine, there are upwards of 40 million still there. If you expect these people to surrender you have a long time to prepare for that rude awakening. Of course they could, I could be wrong, but what will you do when they don't? Will you say these same things through the winter as your citizens starve at home? Will it still be worth it to have much lesser nations take you to the cleaners over a bag of broken rice?

I really don't mean to sound like I don't like the Russian people, I do. I respect them in general greatly for being a tough lot, but this war is not doing them a single favor. Surely the USA has issues with our president, namely him being an economic illiterate, literal subliterate, lying, senile puppet for feel-good-voting talking points- but we are still holding up our ends of international bargains and are in comparatively good standing to provide for the needs of citizens. The fact remains that the war in Ukraine will be drawn out for as long as possible so that Russia can't even manifest a 40 mile convoy to run out of gas if or when it concludes. You probably won't even have a unified nation anymore. You'll have Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the respective areas which depend on them. The rest will fracture. Is it smart to bog Russia down in Ukraine? Yes, especially if Russia still thinks they can win by stepping on eggshells while starving. Ukraine doesn't have to live, it just has to exist for long enough to prove a point, and it seems to be doing very well. There is no seize Ukraine and take a breath for Russia, this is it. Within six to eight years she could be too poor to do anything but launch nukes, and that's given communist China doesn't start a subversive purse fight with Russia over scraps before then.

a reply to: AstroDog

I honestly have no idea where you came up with that stuff. I think you are way off base just like how you refer to me as Russian.

I don't follow MSM, and don't even own a TV. Maybe that is why I don't follow anything you are saying.
Perhaps you are unaware of the new bridge that just opened connecting Russia and China a few days ago. Both of them made a big deal over it. The whole spiel of cooperation and working together building stronger. All of it.

China is getting cheap full from Russia, while Russia is getting cheap labor from China. While at the same time relations between China and the US are becoming more strained over Taiwan. China flat out accused the US of trying to build an Asia version of NATO recently. Of course, our representatives denied it. Which means it is probably happening.

Maybe what you are saying would make sense if you think Russia is trying to take all of Ukraine. I think that is an MSM thing. Not a real thing.

They are going to take Donbas that is certain. With the majority of ethnic Russians in those areas that want to be part of Russia, the Afgan scenario doesn't fit at all.

Another thing you may not be aware of is that the majority of people in Kerson have taken Russian citizenship and celebrated it. In response, Ukrop forces started shelling civilian districts.

You talked about hearts and minds before. You should know what that means.

After they take Donbas they will either focus on Kharkiv or Odessa and to completely take the coastline making a land bridge to Transnistria which is already Russia friendly. I think they even have troops stationed in Transnistria already. The ASP there was under joint control ever since the breakup of the USSR.

All those areas are historically Russia-friendly. There are even groups posting videos in the Odessa area from locals that are working to undermine the military there.

If they manage to link up with Transnistria it is essentially game over for Ukraine.

The war may keep going but Russia will have access to Europe's largest ASP with enough ammo to wage a full-blown war for over a decade. It is essentially still in their control now.

The war Russia is fighting now is nothing like the one they were fighting before which can be contributed to them seizing control of the ASP in Balaklei which is Europe's 2nd largest ASP.

Their unrelenting artillery barrages are due to having access to enough ordinance right now to wage war for several years. Ukraine losing that ASP is why they are running out of artillery ordnance.

Russia never needed all of Ukraine. They needed to control the routes into Russia, they needed to restore the flow of water to Crimea, and they need to end the attacks on Donbas, but the prize is controlling the coast ensuring their warm-water port.

In the process, they are demilitarizing Ukraine. By that I mean they are destroying Ukraine's ability to build weapons. The denazify thing is like our WMDs in Iraq. It rallies their populace. Capturing Azovstal and taking so many of the Azov prisoners is a huge win for them on that matter.

as an american with polish and mexican heritage this is going to be funny

a reply to: YouSir

Yeah, well… I guess we should just all bend over, smile and give Russia the nod then yeah?

Because damn! It just seems like the easier option… rather than the short term inconvenience of paying a few extra bucks to fill up your car or pay your electricity bill.

a reply to: vNex92

iEarlGrey has an interesting you tube channel. He's from the UK, but works and lives in St Petersburg with his family.

This video is funny
www.youtube.com...