Russian offensive unexpectedly slowed by fierce Ukrainian resistance
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • 2 years ago • 81 commentsBy: Courtney Kube and Corky Siemaszko
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Two days in, the Russian offensive appeared to be stymied by stiffer-than-expected resistance from highly motivated Ukrainian armed forces.
Despite an overwhelming advantage in manpower and equipment, the Russian advance lost some of its momentum Friday and the quick victory Russian President Vladimir Putin was counting on is no longer assured, a senior United States defense official told NBC News.
"We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected," the official said. "They are fighting for their country."
While Russian forces are threatening the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities like Kharkiv and small-but-strategic cities like Rivne, none have have been taken so far and the Ukrainian air defenses remain largely intact, despite being targeted by relentless missile attacks, the official said.
Former CIA director David Petraeus echoed that assessment in an interview with MSNBC.
"They are encountering more significant resistance and more determination than I think they expected," Petraeus said.
"The Russians have not collapsed the Ukrainian command and control," Petraeus said. "They haven't taken even remotely a major city yet....This has to be unsettling to them."
Still, Petraeus said he expects the Russians will eventually defeat the Ukrainian army.
"They'll defeat the Ukrainian conventional forces, that's again, not in question," he said. "It's how long it takes, how determined can they be as they're taking very tough losses."
Western Ukraine, which borders NATO member Poland and where the U.S. and other countries are maintaining a diplomatic presence in the city of Lviv, "remains largely undisturbed," the official said.
Ukrainian forces detain servicemen of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic who were captured during an attack on the town of Schast'ye, near the eastern Ukraine city of Lugansk, on Thursday.Anatolii Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images
And while a Russian amphibious assault involving thousands of soldiers was underway west of the city of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov, the official said the assumption is that those forces are bound for the Donbas region, which is a pro-Russian area where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian forces for months.
"Contrary to great Russian claims, and indeed President Putin's sort of vision that somehow the Ukrainians would be liberated and would be flocking to his cause, he's got that completely wrong, and the Russian army has failed to deliver, on Day One, its main objective," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.
Wallace's assessment came as the outskirts of Kyiv were being pounded by Russian missile strikes and machine guns were being handed out to civilians preparing to defend their city from the invaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has shed his tailored suits and is now dressed for battle in hunting gear, has refused to leave Kyiv and has been pleading for Western governments to take tougher measures against Moscow.
"I think they are going to fight," James Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral and former top NATO commander, said of the Ukrainians on NBC's "TODAY." "The government in Kyiv has handed out 18,000 rifles to the populace. They are restricting all men age 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Clearly Zelenskyy, he's out of his suit. He's wearing his hunting gear. This is going to be a tough fight for the Russians."
Wallace agreed.
"It's definitely our view that the Russians intend to invade the whole of Ukraine," Wallace told Britain's Sky News, adding that Moscow is already "behind its hoped for timetable" and has lost more than 450 personnel.
'The citizens are here and we are here': Zelenskyy and team stand firm in Kyiv
The Ukrainian Department of Defense claims the Russians have suffered 800 casualties, a figure Moscow disputes.
NBC News has not confirmed the numbers of any injuries or deaths on either side.
Putin insisted his military is winning the war and continued to cast the biggest European invasion since World War II as a defensive measure.
"Our soldiers are successfully fulfilling the task of protecting our people and our Fatherland," he told Russian media.
Ukrainian servicemen ride toward the front line with Russian forces in the Lugansk region of Ukraine on Friday.Anatoli Stepanov / AFP via Getty Images
Igor Konashenkov, chief spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, insisted Russian forces were racking up victories across Ukraine, but especially in the the pro-Russian Donetsk and Luhansk enclaves in the eastern corners of the country.
Konachenkov said the Ukrainian army has not figured in the fighting over there and "only battalions of Ukrainian Nazis offer fierce resistance."
The Russians have, for months, been peddling bogus accusations of Nazi elements within Ukraine to justify an attack on the country.
"You know who the Nazis are here, it's the Russians," Petraeus said. "And this is the way the Ukrainians will regard them, the way that occupied countries regarded the Nazis, again, during World War II."
Both Putin and Konachenkov also attempted again to push the false claim that Zelenskyy, Ukraine's embattled president, who is Jewishand lost three family members in the Holocaust, was using Ukrainians as "human shields."
"I am addressing the Ukrainian citizens," Konachenkov said. "Your nationalist leadership uses the same methods the terrorists do. They wish to use you as a human shield."
Konachenkov also insisted that the "Russian armed forces will not carry out any strikes against the residential areas of the Ukrainian capital."
But already footage has emerged of residential apartment buildings in Kyiv that had been hit by what appeared to be missile strikes. And thousands of residents have already been hiding in shelters and in subway stations, their sleep made impossible by fear and the wailing of warning sirens.
"Currently, Kyiv is being under attack from the north and south," Veronika Melkozerova, executive editor of The New Voice of Ukraine, said on MSNBC. "Every Ukrainian is going to fight, and it is not going to be an easy ride for Russia."
Petraeus said Zelenskyy and his countrymen have made believers out of the doubters who questioned whether Ukraine would have the will to fight Putin's forces.
"We've got answers to that," Petraeus said. "They will fight, and by the way, it appears that the citizenry is determined to fight as well."
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The US offered to evacuate President Zelensky and his reply was, ''The fight is here, I need ammo not a ride.''
I can't say enough about the courage of the Ukrainian military/people and their leadership.
The Ukrainians are fighting in the streets of Kyiv.
Absolutely, their history says we should expect nothing less... They are reacting much like we would in a similar scenario...
Good. We should be providing them as much support (supplies, weapons they can use without training, etc.) as we can. It is too late for us to give them serious weapons (training required) but we can certainly provide a strong supply chain.
And by 'we' I am referring to the nations who are against one nation aggressively trying to conquer another.
One does not become a better chess player with age, there is a cutoff period where juggling 6 or 7 moves in advance leads to strategic errors. Putin's cutoff period occurred some 15-20 years ago. His 'wins' during the period since were against minor players.
I agree, this is the first mid level player they have taken on, will they win, eventually, but it isn't going to be an "Easy" win...
The outcome is going to decide the next 40-80 years of of political diplomacy...
If Putin wins, we will go back to the old spheres of influence model of which the Russians are the last practitioners of...
If he loses, the old Soviet model of Buffer States is dead and buried... The longer the Ukrainians hold out the better it is for them, if they can create a Ukrainian Vietnam or Afghanistan for Russia, they will win... Zelensky understands this... (and given the military history of the Ukrainians from WWII forward, if they get the supplies now this is the most likely outcome)
Nato play is to pump as much materials and supplies into Ukraine as they can... Force Russia to up the game or go home...
Thank God Donald gave them actual weapons while his predecessor did not because he was afraid of insulting Putin.
Obama supplied Ukraine with the tools to locate the enemy.
Trump supplied some of the tools to knock them out.
Biden has easily more than tripled what his two predecessors together provided.
Moving on to the world of better late than never:
Not if Russia ends up with the weapons because we waited so long to give them additional ones.
Is the sky always falling in your neighborhood?
No, not at all. (Its only when the facts interfere with his far right views.
(BTW, Does anyone else find it strange that he uses the screenname "Right Down the Center"-- when its so obvious that he's not? A transparent attempt to mislead us? Well, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a "misunderstanding"-- or even a typo perhaps?)
Thanks for responding for me.
You could always ask if you wish to know. But let me just say an attempt to mislead you would assume I care enough of what you think to try and mislead you. You would be mistaken.
The sky is never falling in my neighborhood but thanks for your concern.
My point had to do with timing of sending the weapons they are talking about sending now should have been before the invasion began. Maybe that would have been the deterrent Biden said the sanctions were not.
I've been trying to read as many "expert" opinions on the situation that I can find. The common themes are:
(1) Russia, from Putin down, vastly underestimated the will of the Ukrainians to fight. Expected, if not happiness, acceptance at being part of a superior country.
(2) The rot that is in inherent in authoritarian organizations. The way to advance is to report good things and claim to meet targets (reality doesn't matter). Those who point out issues, report honestly are cashiered or stuck in place. So every step of the ladder has an even more distorted opinion of the reality on the ground.
(3) Tied to the above, Russian military is incredibly corrupt. Fake soldiers maintained on unit rosters, profiteering at all levels etc
(4) Russia has never tried anything at this level, and greenness of troops is being exposed. Russia has used "cream of the crop" in recent deployments and once you are past the cream, the mass of soldiers are not well trained or able to coordinate across units.
(5) They don't have the logistics to sustain a long term fight. They can't hold the areas they bypass, lack supplies and fuel. Thus the dash to Kiev, hoping the decapitation of the regime will end resistance ASAP. It doesn't appear they can sustain combat operations longer than the very short term..
Yes mass over strategy & tactics... You can take the country, you cannot take the people.... That is the lesson of Vietnam...., re-proven again in Afghanistan by both Russia and the USA...
Creating a nation in your own image to do your bidding should be recognized worldwide as a self-defeating action if the people of that nation refuse...
So the founding precept of the USA is actually alive and well and is proving the dominate human philosophy today...
Well you actyually can-- at least for a while. But when they start to realize they've been conned, they revolt.
Putin knows this-- which is why he wants to conquer Ukraine-- then leave. (Setting up a puppet gov't to take the blows instead of his Russians).
(5) They don't have the logistics to sustain a long term fight. They can't hold the areas they bypass, lack supplies and fuel. Thus the dash to Kiev, hoping the decapitation of the regime will end resistance ASAP. It doesn't appear they can sustain combat operations longer than the very short term..
Absolutely. Especially if their supply chain gets cut off. They don't have enough troops to hold the whole country.
Actually they might.. but even if not-- what makes you think Putin wants to "hold the entire country"
All he has to do is take control, instal a puppet government of Ukrainians-- then leave. (of course they will see that puppet forces are heavily armed and trained-- while the people are weakened.
The ineptness of the Russian military was shown in their short war with Georgia and there was a revamping of tactics/logistics after that. The invasion of Crimea was settled without a shot, and now we see them against a much smaller force without all the weapons that they need and they are giving the Russians fits.
With a force of 180,000 there is no way they can occupy a country the size of Ukraine and with a population that is going to resist the Russians on every level.
It would seem that the info you posted is accurate, to what degree we don't know but each day of the resistance is showing it to be more and more accurate.
What concerns me is Russia, or at least Putin can't afford to lose. I don't think he survives (as a person) as an embarrassing defeat. The plan seems to have been take the country quickly with relatively light forces moving quickly to overwhelm the Ukrainians and attempt to minimize damage/casualties. The valiant Ukrainian defense has thwarted that strategy. Now I think Russia moves from the modern quick strike lightening war strategy to a pound and ground type from WWII where Russia uses heavy artillery and indiscriminate bombing to destroy Kiev and other centers of resistance. The bombing of the refinery outside Kiev tonight is an example of that.
I fear its going to get very ugly the next few days.
The longer the Ukrainians hold out, the uglier it's going to get... Putin was hoping for a quick surgical strike, three days, take the capitol, capture the king and force a peace on his terms...
Anyone who has followed such types of actions could have told him that such was a pipedream... And he doesn't have the Red Army of the USSR days... (which was half Ukrainian to begin with)
the Ukrainians know how to fight a war on their home ground, in front of the lines or behind the lines no matter, their history says they will not go quietly into the night... and they are proving it... Putin HAS to win to survive, he's painted himself into a corner...
And one more thing, with this action he has successfully pushed Ukraine into NATO severing all old ties with the history of the Soviet Union... The Russians have now become the invading Nazis...
I wonder what the long term plan is, if anything. I'm sure the assumption was they could overwhelm the Ukraine Army and essentially turn Ukraine into Belarus South. The international situation would then return to normal as it has every other time Russia Putin has violated international norms. Or Putin would have momentum and turn his attention to other former soviet territories.
But now, that's out the window. Destroying organized resistance is going be a tough slog and the barbarism of the invasion will ensure any occupation will be a nightmare. Hard to see what Russia's long term strategy is right now, if they even have one.
I agree with that and what I'm afraid you are going to see is what Putin did to Chechya.
Especially if they start using those thermobaric rockets we keep hearing about. Cities are unbelievably hard to fight in for the attacker. I wouldn't put it past Putin to use them in urban areas if his army can't pick up the pace.
One spot of possible good news is I keep hearing reports of Russian soldiers laying down their arms because they don't want to do this. If true, I have to wonder how widespread this sentiment is? Russian and Ukrainian people have mixed for so long, some of the Russian soldiers have to be worried about killing their own relatives.
Spot on as far as I am concerned. This is mostly about Putin's ego and his legacy. He has committed himself to a net win so unless he gets something that justifies his aggression he will keep pushing (unless stopped by a greater force).
I think he is meglomaniac enough to have never thought about a long term plan if his initial plan failed... It appears he has a one week time table, from what he did the the Chechen's and Georgian's, (who successfully fought him to a standstill but lost two provinces) He will drag it out to see if they can last and he finds out they can then try to force a peace... The Chechen's couldn't outlast him and were subjugated, the Georgian's did and forced a solution but not the one they wanted...
Neither of those had the support it appears Ukraine now has... Enough support to last quite a long while with all of NATO and the EU solidly behind them.... The rest of the world is coming along nicely as well....
I think this will go on for a month or two until he realizes he can't win and either backs off or decides to take his frustrations out on NATO... (of course as the Russian economy disintegrates some soul might just decide that Putin should make a quick exit stage left to save the Russian soul....
Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time!
I'm pretty sure they do. Putin wants th do as much destruction as possible, defeat the Ukrainians soundly.
But he certainly doesn't want to occupy a bellgerant country!
So/ the second thing he wans (once the Ukrainians are soundly defeated) is withdraw Russian forces (leave a small group behind to watch over the government. Then set up a puppet government consisting of Ukrainian traitors-- a government friendly to Russia.
That way he has a pro-Russian country on his border there--- but doesn't have the expense* of occupying it!
* Both the monetary expense as well as the cost in Russian troops lives.
And another advantage to this: when he brings (most) of his troops and heavy weapons home...I it will free them up for attacking the next country on his list! (After Moldova of course).
He really wants to conquer the Baltic countries (latvia, Lithuania, Estonia). But the may pose more of a problem for him as they are NATO members....attacking them would mean declaring war on NATO!
So your saying he wants to do a repeat of Hungary(56) and Czechoslovakia(68) with a repeat of the holodor era in the ukraine (Mid to late 30s ) from Stalins time and in the way the old soviet leaders did .
Who could object to that? (S)
He really wants to conquer the Baltic countries (latvia, Lithuania, Estonia). But the may pose more of a problem for him as they are NATO members....attacking them would mean declaring war on NATO!
While Trump's efforts to weaken NATO have been partially successful, it still wields considerable power. And currently, seeing Putin's brutality, countries such as Germany are sending even more weapons to the Ukraine!
What countries are NATO members (as of late 2021)?:
Maybe,
You are assuming that free Ukraine is victorius.
But what if they lose-- are eventually conquered and subjugated by Russian forces-- and a pro-Russian Puppet government is set up?
Obvious in that case they won't join NATO!
Yes-- INO Russiabs and Ukranians are actullythe same group.
The reason they have been divided into these two countries is not because they are different racial, religious or ethnic groups. Rather it happened because of various political events.
(BTW apparently most Russians are surprised Russia is attacking Ukrainians-- its like they are attacking their own people!)
back when i was in USAFE in 85 , we got briefings of the different soviet regional units , broken down like georgians , cheches , ukraines , muscovites and so on .
the ones were were told would be the hardest was the ukraines , they trained harder , they were more nationalistic ,and loved to fight even in outnumbered situations .
we were told we would know we had been in a fight .
And i think thats the can of worms Putin opened . and he is doing it in their back yard.
Nope.
I never said that.
if you want the actual facts, read my comment again-- perhaps more slowly and carefully.
P.S; There's no need for a Holodor thing-- He want to have a pro-Russian Ukraine on his border. (And the way things are going he should probably have Ukraine conquered within a few days-- mch quicker than it would take to starve them to death.
thats what it sounded like to me , and i will add i think your correct thats what he wants , but can he afford it without risking WW3 ?
i did put a big S there at the end .
well IF he gets a win which is in doubt , he will simply syphon off what he wants and leave very little for those people , that is a common old soviet move , so a fast or slow wont matter , it will still qualify as a holodor as a punishing tactic .
now i will genuinely ask with no sarcasm applied to the post ,
Who could possible object to that ?
i will answer it so you dont have to , the one that would be having it happen to them against their will.
Why so critical of Putin? (I had thought you were a Trump supporter?)
Some folks are aware that you can support one person and be opposed to another.
Being a Trump supporter doesn't have anything to do with Putin.
It would be like me assuming you support Kim Jung Un because you support Biden.
Now, doesn't that sound rather stupid?
Yes-- its probably one of the stupidest comments I've heard in a while!
Biden has never praised Kim Ill Jung or UN-- whereas Trump has made numerous comments praising Putin!
I see you missed the point--again.
"Biden has never praised Kim Ill Jung or UN-- whereas Trump has made numerous comments praising Putin!"
No he hasn't...that''s a lie...
[Deleted] In fact, given your posts relationship with reality, I thought you worked in PR for Putin.
Just in case anyone is interested, the AP reported two hours ago...
President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces on alert amid tensions with the West over Ukraine
Nothing there just the headline at this time...
Putin seems unstable enough to make one wonder if this is bluster or not. I guess it should come as no surprise since things are not going the way Putin planned he would take a "If I am going down I am going to take it all down with me" attitude. I also wonder (and hope) that there are some cooler heads within the Russian government that see this is going too far for even them and will take action before it is too late.
It also makes me wish for the good old days before the CIA became a kinder, gentler tool of the government.
That's the concern. The talk that's been floating around about his mental condition is not what you to hear.
Somebody in Russia needs to step up and take him out.
From what I've seen, Russia has really not yet unleashed itself for whatever reason. It still seems to be trying to win by taking and inflicting light casualties, which has led to a lot of stupid engagements. Apparently, yesterday they sent a small unsupported Spetsnaz unit into Karkhiv. Now The Ukrainians have announced they've retaken the city. How the Russians thought they could hold the city that way is beyond me. They just sacrificed troops for no apparent reason, and that seems to be a theme.
I assume the meeting today is where Russia threatens to destroy cities with artillery if Ukraine doesn't surrender. They obviously aren't going to win with the hybrid model of fighting they've been employing. The Ukrainians are too tough, have too high of morale and as long as they have supplies seem like they can stay in the field. The Russians would have to go full Zukhov and concentrate devastating firepower on their targets if they want to win. Thermobaric artillery the whole nine yards. The destruction and civilian suffering will be immense.
That's probably the stick Russia will use during negotiations. Not sure if they have a carrot both Putin and the Ukranians will find acceptable.
I don't think so either. If the Ukrainians manage to hold on until midweek, they may have won one of the most improbable victories in history
and
Tuesday night it will be Joe Biden who claims the victory.
Last night the Russian forces made a major push into Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv. From all reports, the Ukrainian forces forced the Russian back. There are videos of a destroyed Russian column.
This is the mentality the Russians will be facing from a 31 year old.
I think he will never flatten the city unless he is out of his mind. He had hoped this would be similar to Crimea, but obviously, that was a miscalculation. If he flattens the city, then basically his win will be a hollow one.
That's the real danger. A cornered crazy person can do a lot of damage, especially if thinks it offers a path to survival.
I would expect Joe to take credit for any good news and blame others for any bad news in his "Thank God for me " speech. What is more concerning is the number of idiots believing him.
While Putin might be insane, if he flattens Ukraine, the internal strife in his country might be uncontrollable. All of this will end his survival. There is no logical win for him. The best he can hope for is to take the regions that he has and call that a win. Today there is supposed to be a meeting at the border of Belarus and Ukraine. Let's see what happens there.
On a 21st Century giggle, Putin cut off the internet to Ukraine... and via Twitter, this happened:
Really good news that there is scheduled peace talks. I believe Ukraine should have the upper hand.
Russia off the Security Council? That would really legitimize the UN. And I'm sure Putin isn't rushing to sign a peace treaty after hearing that.
It's Putin's move. That critical moment has arrived!
[Deleted] that is actually a big deal.
I don't believe it is Putin's call.
Does his Russian billionaire supporters want to lose what power and money they have left or will they call off Putin?
He may listen to them, (and that's why we sanction them) but he makes all the calls. He's not a Joe Biden.
There will be a phase 3
Vic , my personal view of the UN is they are about as useful as teets on a bull.
simply by the set up of permanent seats on a council , its a go nowhere group.
In that group if any of the seats are filled by a belligerent nation/state , they should not be allowed a vote , instead much like having jury alternates , someone else chosen at random , should , that way a belligerent or someone who is a proxy cannot stymie , a vote for action .
I understand that would take many or all of the perm seat members out of the vote , but it would add to the legitimacy of the vote of the council , which is a UN problem currently.
I agree. Get Russia and China out.
Vic , that also includes the US, everyone is involved in proxy conflicts , my point is actual belligerants or even those that are fueling a proxy conflict shouldnt have a vote .
imagine what would happen if those fueling the dissent and conflict couldnt vote on their actions and the response to it .
I don't know enough about the inner workings of Russian government to have a clue if Putin listens to or answers to anyone currently.
However, I do know even dictators require money and massive support to stay in power. I suspect that Putin does, also.
Thanks to Joe Biden the price of oil is close to $100 a barrel. That is exactly what Putin needed.
Give me an example?
I searched for answers about what sanctioning Russian oil would do the world market. Not sanctioning Russian oil seems to be the best move.
Also, oil prices (like other commodities) can be driven up by speculation from what I understand. I know little to nothing about how stock markets work, but throughout history, they seem to run like gambling casinos that thrive on taking from the many to benefit the few.
From the Washington Post:
This failure of deterrence shows the folly of Biden’s war on fossil fuels. He inherited a nation that was an energy superpower. During his four years in office, President Donald Trump opened 100 million acres of public land and water, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to exploration. He withdrew from the Paris climate accord, approved the Keystone XL pipeline between the United States and Canada, and rolled back Obama-era regulations such as the Clean Power Plan that held back domestic exploration and production. Trump’s policy was “drill, baby drill.” The result? On his watch, the United States supplanted Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest oil producer .
Putin knew Biden couldn’t take that risk. He saw that Biden’s approval rating was in free fall, and that the U.S. president had no political capital to spend at home in confronting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. And Putin had prepared for this moment by amassing more than $630 billion in reserves of gold and hard currency to ride out any sanctions we impose. When it came to an energy standoff, Putin knew Russia had the upper hand. He was right.
On Tuesday, after the first Russian forces crossed Ukraine’s border into the Donbas region, a senior U.S . State Department official told Putin he need not worry about his energy exports if he launched a full-scale assault on Kyiv. “The sanctions that are being imposed today, as well that could be imposed in the near future, are not targeting and will not target oil and gas flows,” said the official , speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We would like the market to take note that there’s no need for increasing the price at the moment.” This is pathetic. The Biden administration publicly announced that it was more concerned about the reaction of the energy market than about how Putin would react in Ukraine.
World leaders took meaningful action yesterday by limiting money transfer by the Russian billionaires via the SWIFT system. This action might have the most power to end Russian military aggression.
and
and
In that case, I guess it's all over.
The world, not just the US, is transitioning from total dependence on fossil fuels regardless of what it costs anyone in the short term.
I don't know what commodities that future wars will be fought over, but I suspect it will probably be over control of arable land and potable water.
That would be the optimum outcome, but there has never been a shortage of would be dictators to replace the ones that were disposed of.
Not in the near future. Show me the affordable electric cars. What percentage of the car market is electric?
Right now we need the oil & gas already we have!
I don't know what commodities that future wars will be fought over, but I suspect it will probably be over control of arable land and potable water.
I agree.
how far back do you want me to go? i can go all the way back to the 1800s before the UN or LoN was even a gleem in anyones eye.
the hypothetical theory is , if a nation is involved with suppying a side they are a proxy belligerent for political or economic gain ,.
lets start with the panama canal , thats pre world body organizations , The US got that done because they funded , a revolution of Panama from Columbia . If a world body such as the UN existed should the US had a seat at the table to direct that world bodies decision or direction ? If it were a true world body that they agreed to abide by , No , what about the banana republic wars of the 20s ? US involvement was geared for their political and economic gains .
But thats just geo-political politics , the scourge of humanity.
OK lets talk post UN creation , should the US been on the security council when dissent was stirred up in Iran and the Shah was seated ?, or how about , some of the middle east debacles in say Egypt and their politicians getting assasinated ? Usually because of US involvement .
Are you seeing my point now?
the 3 major disruptive players , Russia , China , and the US all 3 have their fingers in whatever pie is present at the moment and all 3 because of political direction , likely should not be sitting at the table thats deciding what the world accepts or doesnt accept , and actually i dont think because of all threes world involvement , any of them should have a seat at any table because of their influence .
thats like letting the predator in with the prey in an enclosed area.
And that is where i say UN= about as useful as teets on a bull , and its all because of the way it is set up to operate .
There aren't any as far as I know. And not really many hybrids.
I am hoping to see an expanding and affordable hybrid market during the transition to electric (if that ever happens).
Right now, we need people to reconsider how much oil and gas they waste. I don't believe that most people really even think about it until the prices become more noticeable at their income level. As much as I despise watching what rising fossil fuel costs will do the US economy, it is probably the best way to wean people off of their dependence on cheap fossil fuels.
True-- oil prices can be driven up by speculation. But it's important to remember that oil prices can also be driven down by speculation!
In addition, there are numerous other things that move oil prices. Some are relatively easy to know, but are nearly impossible to know for most people.
You realize yuo are saying Biden killed off oil production when the three things you cite were not producing any oil.
The pipeline was never opened so no oil was ever delivered, the artic wildlife refugee was never drilled in and was not producing and stopping drilling on public lands was for future drill sites, so they were not in operation.
The three things this piece and you are claiming as taking away energy independence were not even producing any oil to be able to get to that kind of designation.
Here we go:
Read here. It has grown exponentially, but it's at about 7% of the market. These new ones will help the market grow.
We are already producing the same amount of crude as we did in 2020:
The bigger question is why we are exporting more than keeping it. You would have to ask the oil industry.
This info has been presented on numerous occasions, I have personally done it. When one chooses to post that they should know is BS you have to wonder WTF are they thinking.
The XL pipeline would have brought in CANADIAN oil (Canada isn't part of the US). The expansion of existing pipelines carries more oil now than XL would carry when complete.
I've posted links to this information many times.
I suspect freezing assets of the Russian billionaires is making a difference now and will change how the wealthiest people (in every country) re-evaluate how to invest and protect their assets from governments when politics take precedence over existing policy.
Those are about $10,000 more than the average gas driven new cars.
Good luck selling that. Just leave the rest of us with the affordable energy we need and had before Biden.
and more good news is the anti-war demonstrations that have been happening inside Russia over the past 4 days.
He may have called them "insurrectionists." I'm not sure.
Just read of a VERY funny instance between a Russian naval vessel and a georgian refueling ship. Russians needed fuel , the refueler asked the nationality of the vessel , when told , the captain of the refueler told them they refuse to refuel them and in snake island style told them to F off.
Russian captain says well what happens if we run out of fuel? the georgian captains reply was to break out your oars .