As winter approaches, Russia has formally deployed their ace in the hole:
Via Reuters, European gas prices shot up over 30% overnight:
LONDON/OSLO, Sept 5 (Reuters) – European gas prices rocketed as much as 30% higher on Monday after Russia said one of its main gas supply pipelines to Europe would stay shut indefinitely, stoking renewed fears about shortages and gas rationing in the European Union this winter.
The benchmark gas price surged as high as 272 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) when the market opened after Russia said on Friday that a leak in Nord Stream 1 pipeline equipment meant it would stay shut beyond last week’s three-day maintenance halt.
…
Europe has accused Russia of weaponising energy supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia says the West has launched an economic war and sanctions have hampered pipeline operations.
I’m lol’ing over here at this idea that the Europeans are enraged about the Russians actually using their leverage to fight back against the sanctions.
Of course the Europeans are allowed to sanction Russia six ways to Sunday–because the Europeans view themselves as the good guys. Everything they do is merited and justified. But for the Russians to retaliate to those sanctions–well that’s an outrage! The Western crybullies epitomized: bawling their eyes out as they strike you, playing the victim card as they antagonize you.
We always knew this would happen as fall and winter approached. The Russians are giving the Europeans time to back off the sanctions before the energy crisis truly gets dire. Europe still has time to avert a winter catastrophe, all it must do is simply drop the sanctions that it has imposed on Russia at the behest of America.
European leaders have signaled that they care more about Ukraine than they do their own people–they would rather their citizens freeze to death this winter than lift sanctions on the Russians.
Their plan is simply to use their control of the media to blame the Russians and portray Vladimir Putin as the New Hitler.
But obviously no one but the most obsequious and brainwashed morons (#WearYourMask #VaxxedAndTripleBoosted #StandWithUkraine) is going to buy it. The protests are already starting in Prague. Europeans by and large don’t want to freeze to death so that Zelenskiy can continue posing for magazine cover shoots in his prop kevlar vest and olive green t-shirt.
When push comes to shove, Europeans don’t want to sacrifice for Ukraine.
And that’s why I think Europe will ultimately have to capitulate to Russia’s demands. Once it starts getting really cold, and people in Europe know that the only thing preventing the heat from coming back on is their “leaders” stubbornly refusing to call off the sanctions on Russia, they’ll revolt. Without a doubt. This is a matter of life and death here. It goes beyond the economy being completely leveled–that’s a given at this point with energy prices as high as they are in Europe. It will eventually get to a point where people’s very lives are on the line.
That’s the kind of shit that gets governments overthrown. Deservedly.
The Russians must know that they have Europe checkmated here.
Europe is the weak link in the NATO alliance. And that weak link is about to break in the next few months.
America is funneling what feels like a billion dollars a day to Ukraine, and Europe is chipping in as well, and that’s pretty much the only thing prolonging this war in Ukraine. (I’m sure most of that money is being laundered and funneled back into the pockets of US politicians, though).
Once Europe folds, America may give up on Ukraine rather quickly. If Europe is not on board with America’s strategy toward Ukraine and Russia, that’s a massive fissure right through the middle of the NATO alliance. It could be the moment that Europe realizes its interests are not best served by siding with America. I’ve been saying this all year long: Europeans will eventually have to conclude that it is in their best interest to play nice with the Russians, Americans be damned.
This burgeoning European energy crisis could well be what breaks the back of NATO for good.