re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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The defense economics of the region vaporize as soon as massive international aid does. That clock is already ticking.

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Uh, the defense economics I'm referring to aren't even Ukraine's specifically. Again, every country in the region is preparing for one thing, and it isn't Russian reintegration into the European economic superstructure.

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You are wrong again as evidenced by the fact of the Peace Talks at all .... and our intercession to scuttle them.

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No, distrust of the Russian regime is going to color any negotiations going forward. You aren't giving credit to Russian duplicity and how much that changed the view of the European elites. The groups, other than the far-right, that suggested rapproachment with the Russians is going to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

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You aren't giving credit to Russian duplicity

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Of course I am, as did the Ukrainians in April 2022.
Yet, given that understanding, they took seats at the table.
Peace negotiations advanced to the point BJ and Biden had to interpose and undercut them.

You aren't giving credit to our own duplicity

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You aren't giving credit to our own duplicity

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What? The actions and spending patterns of governments in Central and Eastern Europe indicate continued antagonism to Russia, regardless of the outcome of the current conflict. That, and the positions various European factions have taken since the invasion aren't up to me in particular.

In case I'm being unclear, I think Russian duplicity before the war, not only with respect to the way Putin handled pre-war negotiations with Macron, but also the active measures campaign the Russians have been conducting since 2002 in Europe proper have completely sidelined those center left and center right factions (of which Merkel was a major figure) who wanted Russian rapproachment through trade and interaction. The invasion have shown a different light on Russia's previous actions with respect to Europe. The factions in power have a long memory and I think that I'm describing their cynicism toward Russia accurately. The fact that their continued actions and their spending measures suggest future antagonism supports my view.

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You're referring to the agreements which Merkle admitted were a ruse to fool Russia while Ukraine armed up?

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I said all of the agreements regarding Ukraine.

For the record:
Belovezh Accords 1992
Budapest Memorandum 1994
Treaty of Friendship 1997
Minsk Protocol 2014
Minsk II 2015

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I would hope you agree with me, I’m consistently the most correct poster in this thread by a mile

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You are. I wrote your name in on my presidential ballot.

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He said that about A ride out of the country, not out of his position.

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Which would have resulted in loss of his position. If Zelensky had not stayed in Kyiv in 2022 the Ukrainian people and military may not have fought as hard as they did and Russia might have taken Kyiv.

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Not at all. Russia will sell that as ousting the Nazis whether that’s real or not. There aren’t Nazis to be ousted, so the whole premise is made up anyway and you assume they won’t just conjure that up as a win as well?

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Putin and the Russian people will see any government that is not pro-Russian as fascist. It is impossible for a pro-Russian candidate to win the presidency of Ukraine or a majority in the Rada without the Donbas and Crimea voting in the election, or Russia overseeing the election. Since I highly doubt that Putin will let the Donbas and Crimea vote in any Ukrainian elections and Ukraine will not let Russia oversee its elections you will end up with another government which Russia considers fascist replacing Zelensky's government or Zelensky's government being reelected. Either way, the results will not be acceptable to Russia.

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You’ve proven on multiple occasions to be far too emotional to use rational thought on this issue due to your personal connections,

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That is only because you think that anyone who disagrees with you or presents information that you do not is being irrational.

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Russia's soaring inflation is hitting basic supermarket staples with the price of potatoes rising a staggering 64%.

The increased cost of spuds has been put down to bad weather, rising production costs, wage increases and a shortage of labour amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

Rosstat figures show Russians face widespread food price rises, with reports people are even stealing butter, the price of which has risen 27.5% this year, according to figures cited by Business Insider.

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LINK

I am emailing my sauce(s) in Russia to confirm if this article is true. If this information is true then damn. We thought 9% inflation a few years ago was high but this > 3x that. I wonder how this will affect the price of vodka?

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I am emailing my sauce(s) in Russia to confirm if this article is true.

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Looks to be accurate. Here's some further info.

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Russians are running out of butter - supermarkets are locking it away from shoplifters
by Szu Ping Chan
Mon, November 4, 2024

Russian butter prices are surging as Vladimir Putin prioritises defence spending over protecting his country from the impact of sanctions.

The price of a block of butter has climbed by a quarter since last year, significantly higher than the inflation rate of 8.6pc, official statistics show.

Surging prices have sparked supermarket thefts, while shortages have also become widespread.

Western sanctions have pushed up prices on a range of goods and services. Putin has also prioritised defence spending to fund his war in Ukraine over insulating his population from the impact of sanctions.

Draft documents in September showed the Kremlin’s plans to raise defence spending by a quarter in 2025 to 6.3pc of national income, which would be the highest share since the Cold War.

The surge in butter prices over the past year has led to increased security measures at supermarkets following a rise in shoplifting, with Russian media reporting that retailers have started putting blocks of butter inside locked plastic containers to deter thieves.

Russia’s central bank recently warned that prices were likely to keep rising.

“Prices for dairy products, especially butter, continued to rise faster in September. Increased cost pressures continued to pass through to prices for this category of goods,” it said in a report on consumer prices.
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A year ago, Putin issued a rare public apology after outcry over the price of eggs, which have climbed by more than 50pc since 2022 when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Last year, shops started selling eggs individually amid concerns about affordability.



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It's been a consistant issue. This is an article from last November.

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Russian consumers feel themselves in a tight spot as high inflation persists
By Anna Frants
November 24, 2023

MOSCOW (AP) — The shelves at Moscow supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables, cheese and meat. But many of the shoppers look at the selection with dismay as inflation makes their wallets feel empty.

Russia’s Central Bank has raised its key lending rate four times this year to try to get inflation under control and stabilize the ruble’s exchange rate as the economy weathers the effects of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and the Western sanctions imposed as a consequence.

The last time it raised the rate — to 15%, doubled that from the beginning of the year — the bank said it was concerned about prices that were increasing at an annualized pace of about 12%. The bank now forecasts inflation for the full year, as well as next year, to be about 7.5%.

Although that rate is high, it may be an understatement.

“If we talk in percentage terms, then, probably, (prices) increased by 25%. This is meat, staple products — dairy produce, fruits, vegetables, sausages. My husband can’t live without sausage! Sometimes I’m just amazed at price spikes,” said Roxana Gheltkova, a shopper in a Moscow supermarket.
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The central bank’s rate hikes have slightly cooled the ruble’s exchange rate slide — the rate is now about 88 to the U.S. dollar from more than 100 earlier. But that’s still far higher than in the summer of 2022, when it was about 60 to the dollar.

That keeps the cost of imports high, even as import possibilities shrink because of Western sanctions.

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Cabbage, Caviar and Vodka are all a good russian needs anywar.