Could this have something to do with Russia's conflict with Ukraine?

[Little-Acorn]

The big naval base at Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine, may be one reason.

But there are also major natural-gas pipelines running from Russia, through Ukraine, to Europe, and to warmwater ports on the Black Sea.

Natural gas is one of Russia's major exports, and a source of hard cash needed to buy food, equipment, and military hardware.

If anything threatens the stability or ownership of the pipelines through Ukraine, is it any surprise that Russia reacts quickly and aggressively?

Here's an interesting article. How much is hype, and how much is fact?

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Is Europe's gas supply threatened by the Ukraine crisis? | World news | The Guardian

Is Europe's gas supply threatened by the Ukraine crisis?

Russia supplies about 30% of Europe's gas – should we be worried?

Jon Henley
The Guardian, Monday 3 March 2014 18.44 EST

Last December, Ukraine's now-deposed, pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych abandoned a trade deal with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia. One of the sweeteners in the $20bn support package that helped persuade him was a steep discount – around 30% – on the price that Russia's gas giant, Gazprom, was then charging Ukraine for the natural gas on which it relies. This weekend, as relations between the two countries descended to an alarming new low, Moscow warned that the cut-price deal was unlikely to last much longer.

Gazprom, which controls nearly one-fifth of the world's gas reserves and supplies more than half of the gas Ukraine uses each year, insisted the threatened price rise merely reflected cash-strapped Ukraine's inability to meet its contractual obligations. The state-owned company said that Kiev owes it $1.55bn for gas supplied in 2013 and so far in 2014, and shows little evidence of paying up. But this is not the first time Russia has used gas exports to put pressure on its neighbour – and "gas wars" between the two countries tend to be felt far beyond their borders. Russia, after all, still supplies around 30% of Europe's gas.

In late 2005, Gazprom said it planned to hike the price it charged Ukraine for natural gas from $50 per 1,000 cubic metres, to $230. The company, so important to Russia that it used to be a ministry and was once headed by the former president (and current prime minister) Dmitry Medvedev, said it simply wanted a fair market price; the move had nothing to do with Ukraine's increasingly strong ties with the European Union and Nato. Kiev, unsurprisingly, said it would not pay, and on 1 January 2006 – the two countries having spectacularly failed to reach an agreement – Gazprom turned off the taps.

The impact was immediate – and not just in Ukraine. The country is crossed by a network of Soviet-era pipelines that carry Russian natural gas to many European Union member states and beyond; more than a quarter of the EU's total gas needs were met by Russian gas, and some 80% of it came via Ukrainian pipelines. Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Poland soon reported gas pressure in their own pipelines was down by as much as 30%.

 

[Indeependent]

Bingo!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Uummmm, do you really need to ask?

 

[tinydancer]

Putin will turn off the taps to the West before he would give up his naval base in Crimea.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

 

[tinydancer]

I've seen a lot of commentary today on how Germany for example would be ok with their reserves because of a mild winter and I'm thinking to myself, how stupid are these writers?

The Ukraine which is already deeply in debt would be cut off. And we'd all be screwed to if Russia was forced to pull this move by the G8 countries because our gas prices would skyrocket.

Damn this is a dog's breakfast.

 

[gallantwarrior]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

How soon before China forces the issue over Japan?

 

[tinydancer]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

Change in Government? The West supported this coup. It was a strategic move to oust a duly elected President who actually had negotiated a better deal with Russia than what the EU could offer and replace him with those that would be pro EU and IMF.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

Change in Government? The West supported this coup. It was a strategic move to oust a duly elected President who actually had negotiated a better deal with Russia than what the EU could offer and replace him with those that would be pro EU and IMF.

Look you blazing retard the Ukraine made the change after months of protests and then showed to the world the CORRUPTION running rampant in the old leaders name. He stole BILLIONS. He hired his cronies and paid them twice the going rate, he looted government funds and padded his bank accounts. He lived in mansions with dozens of cars at his beck and call.

They were going broke because he was STEALING them blind. Further it was a fairly peaceful change of Government after the old leader had murdered hundreds of protesters.

There was no danger to anyone in the Crimea, Russian or otherwise. Putin simply saw a chance to seize ILLEGALLY a province he wanted to control. Just as he did in Georgia. And you applaud his aggression and illegal actions.

We have a binding treaty with the Ukraine to defend them. How exactly do you think China is going to react when they see we do not follow through on our treaties? They want Taiwan and Russia just seized Crimea with out a single shot being fired. Why would China now believe Obama will defend Taiwan or Japan?

 

[gallantwarrior]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

Can you explain to me where the surprises are in this whole situation?

 

[Little-Acorn]

Couple other interesting charts.

The vast majority of Russia's exports, are mineral fuels: Coal, natural gas, and oil.

The proportions probably vary from year to year. But it's not hard to see what the dominant export is. I'm not sure what proportion of these combined mineral-fuel exports, are natural gas.

Russia is by far the largest exporter of natural gas, nearly doubling the amount exported by its nearest competitor, Qatar.

Interestingly, the U.S. is the top producer of natural gas, though it doesn't appear on this chart of exporting countries. Does the U.S. really consume nearly all the natural gas it produces? Or does it simply convert it to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is not measured in "billion cubic feet per day (bcfd)" (is it?) and so doesn't appear on this export chart, and then export that?

 

[TruthSeeker56]

No worries.

Obama will take care of everything.

Remember that the world LOVES the USA, because Obama is our President.

 

[Little-Acorn]

No worries.

Obama will take care of everything.

Remember that the world LOVES the USA, because Obama is our President.

To paraphrase a famous movie line, Obama couldn't take care of a wet dream.

As he is amply demonstrating in this crisis.

 

[Katzndogz]

The violent change in government was necessary because the EU could not trust that the election would put someone in power who would be willing to sell out the country to the EU. The change was necessary because Ukraine has a large Russian/Jewish population that would vote against a neo Nazi.

 

[B. Kidd]

The change in Government was no threat to the pipe lines. The only "threat" to Russia was the Ukraine would be closer to NATO and the US.

Meanwhile Obama bent over backwards to appease Russia, canceling missile defense treaties with Poland and other former Soviet bloc Countries. And his reward? Ukraine invaded, our inability to do anything about a treaty we signed promising to defend Ukraine in event of attack and the chilling effect that failure has on all our treaties with old Soviet bloc Countries.

Further China has now noted that in regards treaties to defend allies we do not follow through. How long before China rattles her saber over Taiwan? Or the other disputed islands in the Pacific?

How soon before China forces the issue over Japan?

Does appear to be an opportune time for China to move on those islands........