Regardless of who wins the Ukrainian war, the United States will be the strategic loser. Russia will build closer relations with China and other countries on the Eurasian continent, including India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states. It will turn irrevocably away from European democracies and Washington. Just as President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger played the “China card” to isolate the Soviet Union during the Cold War, presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will play their cards in a bid to contain U.S. global leadership.
Knowing that it can no longer keep Europe as its top energy customer, Moscow has logically moved to grow its fossil fuels sales with Asia, notably China and India. Since the Ukraine invasion, Russia has become China’s top oil provider, replacing Saudi Arabia. It is true that in the short to medium term, transfer capacity will limit how much more fossil fuels Russia can sell to China. Russia currently has just one overland oil route to China, the ESPO pipeline. The only gas pipeline currently in operation is Power of Siberia. Pipeline sales of both oil and gas are supplemented by seaborne routes to mainland China. In the years ahead, China and Russia will doubtlessly make substantial investments to expand oil and gas transmission between the two countries, better enabling Russia to be the primary supplier of fossil fuels to China. The Chinese will likely be able to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel shipments from the Middle East which must pass through vulnerable naval choke points such as the Malacca Straits.
Closer energy relations between China and Russia will help to draw them closer as strategic allies with “no limits” on the Eurasian continent. By having a committed Russian energy supplier in its backyard, China will inevitably obtain more strategic flexibility for dealing with the United States and its Indo-Pacific regional allies, all to the detriment of Western democracies.
The obiden regime is a willing participant in all of this, burning down the last pillars of the Republic. When the irs starts in with their persecutions of we the people, the majority of sheeple will gladly comply.
Americans are in for a rude awakening. Soon. Our government has angered most of the world. And our own people too.
The big power plant in ukraine is now leaking coolant. If its leaking and not fixed common sense should tell you what happens next. We are in a world of hurt. I see article 5 draft of nato coming soon
NATO has failed to finance their military. They gave Ukraine way too much of their own stuff. Ukraine had the largest army in Europe. The Russians have destroyed it, using only a fraction of their own army. NATO is toast. The Rooskies could shut off all the energy they send west at any time if they choose. Saw a show the other day discussing that the US used about 65,000 artillery shells in the entire Gulf War. Russia uses that many every day in Ukraine. Russian manufacturing is unbelievable. Ours. Not so much.