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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Haim R. Branisteanu who wrote (186457)	4/16/2022 5:06:19 AM
From: Haim R. Branisteanu	1 Recommendation Recommended By Pogeu Mahone Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 217734

Russian war crimes in Ukraine have made global headlines, but the systematic damage being inflicted on the Ukrainian economy by Putin’s invasion also requires urgent international attention. In a recent address to the EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko provided details of the “catastrophic” costs of the conflict so far, while also calling for greater international economic support for Ukraine and tougher sanctions measures against Russia. Speaking on April 5, Marchenko shared a number of data points that illustrated the scale of the economic damage done to Ukraine during the first 40 days of the Russian invasion. According to Marchenko, Russian forces have methodically targeted transport, energy, and industrial infrastructure across the country, resulting in damage amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. Around 30% of all Ukrainian businesses have been forced to cease activities entirely, while many more have had to dramatically downgrade operations due to limited access to resources or markets. Marchenko also noted the negative impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on the global economy. In particular, he underlined the growing international food security issues arising from Putin’s invasion. This emphasis on agriculture comes as no surprise given Ukraine’s status as the world’s number one sunflower oil exporter and leading grain supplier, with an estimated 400 million people globally dependent on Ukrainian grain. Over the past decade, Ukraine has consolidated its position as an emerging agricultural superpower and key contributor to global food security. With the bulk of Ukrainian agricultural exports now unable to reach international markets, the consequences are expected to be widespread and severe. Countries from North Africa to South America will feel the loss of Ukrainian agricultural produce, with price hikes on basic commodities and food shortages potentially fuelling social unrest and political instability. atlanticcouncil.org

To: Haim R. Branisteanu who wrote (186457)	4/16/2022 5:37:37 PM
From: carranza2	2 Recommendations Recommended By Hoa Hao Old_Sparky Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 217734

I don’t know what prompted such a personal attack, but I will ignore it. But not before pointing out that Ukraine’s GDP is slightly higher than Belgium’s and slightly smaller than Romania’s. There are several individual American states that make Ukraine’s economy look like small beer. And that the underlying root cause for the present conflict lies in Ukraine’s agreement to give up its nukes at the time that negotiations for Germany’s reunification was being negotiated in exchange for a pledge of neutrality. James Baker, then Secretary of State, pledged that NATO would not move ‘one inch’ to the East of Ukraine’s borders. This was of course prompted by Russian concerns that if Ukraine slanted West, its security would be threatened. This was not an unreasonable concern The pledge not to fiddle in Ukrainian affairs did not happen. The history of the aftermath of the 2014 revolution is too well-known for me to repeat it. Suffice it to say that the pledge was broken. Rather than let the Ukrainians and Russians sort out their own affairs, we interfered. The dispute is and was local, of absolutely no strategic interest to the US. We should have no dog in the fight. The way the media has presented Ukraine is to suggest that it is some sort of Eastern European Switzerland, delirious for freedom and democracy. Hogwash. It is as corrupt and autocratic a state as any in the neighborhood. The one thing we Americans have forgotten is to leave well enough alone unless it really matters. We have in the last few years fought too many wars for the wrong reasons, spending money and spilling blood in futile endeavors. That nonsense needs to stop. Which brings me to my final point: your diatribe against me didn’t even respond to my point, which is that we should not get involved unless it really matters. And Ukraine doesn’t. There are no economic or security interests at play affecting the US which are worth the huge risks involved.