West’s Cowardice, Now Feeble Sanctions Helping Russia?

Besides the West’s sanctions threats failing to keep Putin from invading Ukraine, perhaps biggest shock is its POST-attack “sparing” of Russia’s energy sector. Cowardice as well as foolishness at play? Putin knew Euros would have little choice but “keep buying Russian gas & oil” thereby funding its aggression?

The WSJ struggled to explain how it could be that “The West is rolling out increasingly tough sanctions on Russia” … e.g., cutting off access to SOME, but not ALL banks … but it is going out of its way to preserve the country’s biggest source of revenue: energy exports” … e.g., by EXEMPTING energy sales, which the Russian bear feasts on. “You can’t get away from the fact that Europe still has dependency on Russia,” said Justine Walker, head of sanctions & risk at the Associate of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, especially since those BROAD exemptions obviously dilute the banking sanctions’ impact. Yes, Mr. Trump told them so, so …

True, the West is now walking a fine line between waging economic war on Russia to belatedly help Ukraine & getting creamed itself. Was that a 10 to 15 cent per gallon rise in pump prices I noticed overnight? Meanwhile, the gallant Ukranians keep dying in their streets, despite the West’s overdue emergency loans, belated rifles & still more promissory notes they’re getting from the US & Europe. How ironic would it be if the Ukranian heroes, still holding on to their capital, saved feckless Europe & US in the end?

Davd Soul