Comment by tashbarg
16 days ago
Total trade with Russia in 2024: $3.5bn
Total trade with Ukraine in 2024: $2.9bn
https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/russia...
So, Ukraine will get an exemption, too, right? Because their trade is even a mooter point, right? Right?!
This is down from $23B in 2019, and is basically just fertilizer and minerals used to make fertilizer.
Fertilizer is not sanctioned due to the fact it’s needed for food security in the EU (surprise suprise, the EU is not just insecure domestically in terms of military and energy and technology, but also in terms of fertilizers needed to grow food, fantastic governance they have over there…leaving potash mining or nat gas extraction to other countries does look good for those domestic net zero calculations though!).
EU peace is assured by inter-locking trade within the block. Countries within the EU are gently encouraged to trade essential goods with one another instead of producing them themselves.
This policy dates back to the end of WW2 as an attempt to prevent one country getting too aggressive and hence starting another war.
Since the fall of the wall, Russia was seen as a legitimate trading partner for the block and, in the long term (just as Türkiye), as member of the block.
Hence sourcing fertiliser from Russia was taken to be a strategic positive since it tired Russia to Europe.
> Hence sourcing fertiliser from Russia was taken to be a strategic positive since it tired Russia to Europe.
And you still defend this as a strategic positive?
2 replies →
This reply makes the mootest point of all the moot points.
I don’t see Ukraine on the list at least. But I do see this as a win for Russia in the destabilization of the Western economy.
It's on the list. They have to pay 10%
I stand corrected