Russia's gas blackmail has failed, so the Guardian says Archived Message Posted by John Monro on February 3, 2023, 7:29 am https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/03/putin-russia-blackmail-europe-gas-supply-ukraine Yet another example of the diverging universes humanity now occupies. Russia never blackmailed or even threatened to blackmail Europe in regard to gas or energy, Europe blackmailed itself - additionally The US probably blew up the gas pipe line, ensuring that Russia couldn't blackmail Europe even if it wanted to. Europe has had a very mild winter, and was able to fill its gas reserves earlier. Yes, it is true that Europe has done a bit better than it was initially feared. The problems will arise next winter, when the gas reserves might be much lower. But the other problem remains, even if industry and housing manage with less Russian gas, the article doesn't even mention the cost of LPG which could be 100% greater than Russian gas Also, it depends entirely on US shale extraction, which is running down in many areas, Europe could find itself investing billions in LPG facilities only to find it can't get LPG. - or it can get it only at severely inflated prices. The US then will be the blackmailer. https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eu-natural-gas This chart shows European gas prices, certainly as compared to through most of 2022 following the Russian SMO. But look at Feb 2020 or 2019, gas then was around 20-25 euros/mWH, it's presently 57 Euros/mWh (i think I'm reading this graph correctly) You will also find published in many newspapers the claim that gas prices have now returned to pre-invasion levels, they have, but what they fail to tell you is that gas prices had already risen substantially just prior to the invasion, ie they are deliberately misleading, as note above the general price of gas for many years (the graph goes back 10 years) from Russia was less than half the present prices. Furthermore, coal production and burning is now increasing again. making a nonsense of pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It really doesn't matter what you read in the MSM around Russia, it truly is almost all lies or manipulation. It just never stops Europe may have avoided an acute disaster, but the effects of shutting itself off from Russian gas will start to bite. Germany in particular will find its industrial competitiveness being very hard to sustain, as the US additionally subsidises its own industries. It truly is amazing how the German leadership, so stupid as to go along with the US to cut its own economic throat. You have to hand it to the US,- the blind obedience to its power from its European vassal states. Message Thread: Russia's gas blackmail has failed, so the Guardian says - John Monro February 3, 2023, 7:29 am Re: Russia's gas blackmail has failed, so the Guardian says - Dovetail Joint February 3, 2023, 8:08 am Re: Russia's gas blackmail has failed, so the Guardian says - John Monro February 3, 2023, 8:50 am Re: Russia's gas blackmail has failed, so the Guardian says - Dovetail Joint February 3, 2023, 2:10 pm Thucydides a-go-go....nm - Keith-264 February 3, 2023, 4:05 pm   Searching