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US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

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Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#91

Post by gambiting »

cpursley wrote: post #51
tut-urut-utut wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And I, as an European, hate EU government for taking a self destructive way of introducing various sanctions that affect lives of the EU citizens in a very negative ways, without doing anything to help their proclaimed goals. At this point I am not sure if they are stupid, evil, corrupt or they just despise and hate their citizens. Or maybe all of that. You Americans are least have a pragmatic government that at leas…

You're getting downvoted by Americans with big fat paychecks in the Bay Area and other coastal cities on the energy self-sufficient North American content. Like it or not, Europe runs on Russian gas/oil/grain for the time being. The current crop of EU officials are probably not evil, but they are incredibly incompetent. By any object measure, the sanctions have filled the Russian Government's coffers and made Europe…

I downvoted them and I'm Polish - I see Ukrainian people on our streets every day, I hear their stories and their suffering all the time, my family is housing several refugees already. The stuff that Russia is doing to that country is making my blood boil.

If anything, I'm incredibly upset that EU is not doing more to tighten the screw on Russia. If we are unwilling to send our militaries to fight Russia in Ukraine, then we should completely and entirely stop doing any business with that murderous, warmongering country, no matter the cost to ourselves. I mean it.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#92

Post by Tade0 »

colordrops wrote: post #38
yks wrote: post #29

The West could've ended this war by now if they just went all in on sending howitzers, MLRS and other heavy equipment into Ukraine but they keep slow dripping it, or just doing nothing like Germany. The most powerful societies in the world history just twiddle their thumbs while negative consequences keep mounting.

The US is interested in a protracted war in Ukraine to both make money for weapons and other supplies manufacturers, and to drain the Russian economy. The Ukraine war was precipitated by years of US machinations, despite media characterizations to the contrary.

Anyone living close enough to Russia can attest to the fact that this invasion is just an external consequence of their internal politics.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#93

Post by mywittyname »

bgorman wrote: post #41
yks wrote: post #29

The West could've ended this war by now if they just went all in on sending howitzers, MLRS and other heavy equipment into Ukraine but they keep slow dripping it, or just doing nothing like Germany. The most powerful societies in the world history just twiddle their thumbs while negative consequences keep mounting.

The Biden administration's goal isn't to stop the war, it is to reset geopolitics by creating regime change in Russia. For this to happen the Ukraine conflict needs to be drawn out as long as possible, perhaps even with an insurgency in southern/eastern Ukraine.

Biden isn't the only person shaping the war though. Western Europe pretty clearly wants this conflict to end, and has pushed Ukraine to accept Russian concessions.

It's reasonable for Americans to want to drag this conflict out, as they are more insulated from the direct effects of the war, and a pro-American Russia would bring a lot of benefits. But it is clearly having a destabilizing effect on the rest of the world and this may spill over into western europe as well.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#94

Post by nemo44x »

yks wrote: post #79
nemo44x wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're literally asking for more death and destruction. Just think of what you're saying. Russia wins this war no matter what and the pointless cheerleading from the media and some politicians has been nothing but disposing of Ukrainian lives for the sole purpose of getting some type of bizarre revenge on Russia who they believe got Trump elected, or something. Sending more and more weapons only prolongs it and adds…

> Russia wins this war no matter what As they say, citation needed.

Just look at what's going on right now? They've just about succeeded now in claiming the Eastern territories they want and it won't be long now. Everything has turned the last few weeks since their initial offense was repelled and they regrouped.

Why are some people rooting for more and more needless death and destruction?

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#95

Post by JumpCrisscross »

cpursley wrote: post #88
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> any object measure, the sanctions have filled the Russian Government's coffers and made Europe much poorer With you until this point. Higher energy prices have in no way made up for the loss of Russia's reserves.

Russia has actually raised minimum wage and pensions by 10% due to the huge inflow of tax revenue. They also reduced the emergency 20% interest rate to 9.5% (about same as before). And I can't find the article, but I read somewhere that they're only losing about 1/3 of the original reserves that was originally announced. The EU is getting played by both Russia and America.

> Russia has actually raised minimum wage and pensions by 10% due to the huge inflow of tax revenue

This is less than inflation. (Curious to see a source spinning it as a result of tax revenues. Even for the Kremlin, that's an idiotic argument.) It's also about the amount Russia's economy is expected to shrink this year.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#96

Post by kgran »

dxhdr wrote: post #62

Meanwhile RUB to USD is at its highest in nearly 5 years. Cutting Russia off from SWIFT has only strengthened their ties to India and China. Russia is still invading Ukraine, and now we're dealing with soaring food and energy prices at home. At some point you have to consider whether this level of diplomatic incompetence is intentional.

Good luck finding US dollars for the official rates: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-17/in-ussr-f...

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#97

Post by cpursley »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #87
cpursley wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many would argue that US tactical intelligence is overrated, as well. When's the last time the US fought against a near-peer?

> When's the last time the US fought against a near-peer? When's the last time any major power fought a near peer? I would have said we're getting solid evidence of American intelligence supremacy out of Ukraine. But given the incompetence of the Russian military it would be embarrassing to put them in the same league as China.

The Russian military is only incompetent on American social media. Despite the memes and all the projection going around, they're running a master class in modern combined arms maneuver warfare. Their territorial gains and low losses relative to Ukraine speak for themselves; the Donbas is weeks, perhaps days, from being consolidated.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#98

Post by dubswithus »

suetoniusp91 wrote: post #6

What is this "Food Crisis" they speak of?

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220614-top-indigenou...

> Pastocalle has been a flash point of protests called by the powerful Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie) against rising fuel prices and living costs, which saw protesters block roads across the country on Monday.

https://www.newsweek.com/ecuadorians-fed-high-gas-prices-inf...

> In addition to a drop in gas prices, the protesters are demanding that the Ecuadorian government drop prices on basic food items.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#99

Post by corrral »

yks wrote: post #29

The West could've ended this war by now if they just went all in on sending howitzers, MLRS and other heavy equipment into Ukraine but they keep slow dripping it, or just doing nothing like Germany. The most powerful societies in the world history just twiddle their thumbs while negative consequences keep mounting.

I think the initial reluctance was because they didn't want Russia to capture a whole bunch of intact, powerful, advanced weapon systems if Ukraine capitulated fast, plus not being sure how Russia would react to extensive Western involvement. Both don't seem to be problems, now, but they easily could have been.

Re: US quietly urges more use of Russia fertilizer to ease food crisis

#100

Post by JTbane »

pkaye wrote: post #13

What happened to all the people pushing organic fertilizers? Why don't they source more of that?

Compost takes years to make, and is bulky. Ammonia-based fertilizer can be made on an industrial scale with continuous processes and is basically pure nutrients for plants.
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