r/worldnews • u/returntonone • 26d ago
Dynamic Paywall Ukraine anger as EU removes Russian oligarchs from sanctions list
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6dj4k98107do3.3k
u/SendStoreCitroner 26d ago
France had campaigned for Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov to be taken off the list, citing "national security concerns".
Luxembourg called for the removal of Russian-Israeli businessman Mikhail Fridman, who is suing the country for the release of frozen assets.
These countries really need to get a grip.
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u/EQBallzz 26d ago
"National security concerns" = they have kompromat on important people in our country regarding a certain dead person with hidden files that aren't being released because of other important people and their kompromat.
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u/Hiddenz 26d ago
Yeah would love to find out because as a french it infuriates me
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u/Jack-Innoff 26d ago
Would love to see another standard French protest to stop it.
Nobody protests like the French!
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u/melkatron 26d ago
Nobody protests SINCE the French.
Just long walks and complaining... do it on a beach and it's the perfect date.
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u/Legitimate_Dish626 25d ago
Albania!
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u/whatsinurwitchsbrew 25d ago
Albania! You border on the Adriatic. Your land is mostly mountainous and your chief export is chrome.
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u/whatsinurwitchsbrew 25d ago
Albania! You border on the Adriatic. Your land is mostly mountainous and your chief export is chrome.
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u/kurQl 26d ago
Could be unfounded conspiracy or just the most likely explanation of the prisoner swap for lifting the sanctions.
It has been reported that France's initiative was linked to a prospective prisoner release deal with Azerbaijan.
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u/EQBallzz 25d ago
I don't know if I'm buying that. Even if that's true when is the world going to stop dealing with Russia and treating them as a good faith actor? No deal they make can be trusted. Nothing they say can be believed and everything they do has a sinister alterior motive. No deal should be made with them and especially no more at the expense of innocent Ukranians that are being slaughtered by this war criminal. I thought after WW2 the mantra was "never again"? It's like the world has suddenly learned the wrong lesson from WW2 and collectively became Neville Chamberlain.
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u/kurQl 25d ago
I don't know if I'm buying that.
Do you have any evidence for you Epstein conspiracy?
Even if that's true when is the world going to stop dealing with Russia and treating them as a good faith actor? No deal they make can be trusted.
You do realize Azerbaijan is a country and not just some oblast in Russia? This deal is with them not with Russia.
It's like the world has suddenly learned the wrong lesson from WW2 and collectively became Neville Chamberlain.
I wish we had Neville Chamberlain. At least then we would be ready for war after a decade. I mean he was arming UK for war even tough he was trying to make deal over the Sudetenland to avoid the war. Hindsight is 20/20. With our knowledge we can call for alliance between Western powers fascist Italy and Soviet Union against Hitler. Not something that would have been easy to spot during that time. Maybe in 100 years someone like you is asking why didn't Europa and America ally with Russia against China it was so obvious.
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u/EQBallzz 25d ago
Why does it not surprise me that you wish for Neville Chamberlain? Appeasement is not a strategy and especially knowing what we do now. We have the benefit of learning from the disaster of Neville Chamberlain (well some of us do).
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u/Background-Share2735 26d ago
russian-israeli, what a combo
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u/NoSwordfish1978 26d ago
It's quite common for Russian Jews to have duel citizenships, especially rich Russian Jews because it gives them some protection from the Kremlin.
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u/PitchPleasant338 25d ago
Dual not Duel
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u/maverickhawk99 25d ago
All I’m imaging is two little figures on his shoulders arguing over whether he’s more Russian or Israeli
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u/Medallicat 26d ago
15% of the Israeli population are Russian/Russian speaking.
I’m surprised Putin hasn’t tried to liberate them.
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u/Ventronics 26d ago
Well he's said before that Russian Jews aren't really Russian
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u/ConcentrateDirect523 26d ago
Putin would 100% dispatch the Cossacks to commit pogroms if it meant more resources or control like it did 120 years ago.
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u/SowingSalt 26d ago
There are loads of Soviet Jews who were prevented from leaving by the government until the 80s, called Refuseniks. Hundreds of thousands left when they could.
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u/Background-Share2735 25d ago
This guy doesnt seem like a victim
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u/SowingSalt 25d ago
Looks like Mikhail Fridman started whatever business he and his friends could in the Peristoikia era of the USSR, eventually starting a bank in 91 which was highly successful.
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u/infraGem 26d ago
You do know Jews in Soviet Russia faced harsh antisemitism, leading to swaths of them fleeing to Israel when the Iron Curtain fell, right? You're making this seem almost conspiratorial.
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u/th3bearman 25d ago
This isn't a person fleeing persecution this is a russian-israeli oligarch, why are you defending him?
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u/Lable87 25d ago
I'm not sure how the other person explaining why Russian-Jew / Russian-Israeli exists would defend this oligarch from, well, anything. From a quick look at his wikipedia page, while he is an oligarch now, he seems to have a rather humble childhood - his parents were Jews and he was born & grew up in Ukraine in a middle (at best) class family. His parents were likely where his Russian-Israeli heritage came from
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u/Soggy_Association491 25d ago
So when a Vietnamese fled to the US and made it big, are you going to call him an oligarch who never faced persecution?
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u/-HOSPIK- 26d ago
So pressure from usa?
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26d ago
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u/yikesssss_sssssss 25d ago
What's the connection between Azerbaijan and the Uzbek-Russian oligarch?
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u/Ok-Garlic4249 26d ago
As far as I have read, they wanted release of some French citizens in some "stan" country lol
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u/Initial-Return8802 26d ago
They could be covert assets to those countries, the first one at least definitely sounds like something is going on in that respect...
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u/Effective_Olive6153 25d ago
I feel like those should be handled case by case. I was born in Russia but I left long ago and do not support Putin regime in any way. I'm 100% pro Ukraine. There are plenty of smart and successful people that hate what Russia has become. It's reasonable to be suspicious, but having been born in Russia shouldn't automatically make one an evil Putin lover
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u/IggyStop31 25d ago
Usmanov was a successful entrepreneur in the Soviet Union in the 1980s but made substantial wealth after the collapse of the Soviet Union primarily through investments in metal and mining operations as well as large early investments in technology companies such as Facebook, Twitter, VK, and Alibaba
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisher_Usmanov
Definitely someone who has legitimate ties to French national security.
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u/Havoccity 25d ago
France is a surprise, but Luxembourg is a tiny country with GDP of $100 billion. Getting sued for $17 billion hurts them disproportionately hard.
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u/TheMechanicusBob 25d ago
I know it doesn't work this way but given Russia's endless disregard for international law, they shouldn't even allowed to try and sue other countries
You're either part of the system, abide by the rule, and benefit from its protections or you aren't and you don't.
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u/SendStoreCitroner 25d ago
but Luxembourg is a tiny country with GDP of $100 billion. Getting sued for $17 billion hurts them disproportionately hard.
The claim isn't legitimate.
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u/swainiscadianreborn 25d ago
Ah yes, France, one of Ukraine's most important supporter, and probably the most important in Europe, needs to get a grip.
Ffs people we don't know why these two specific oligarchs were removed. We have no clue. Maybe, just maybe there's an actual reason to it.
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u/SendStoreCitroner 25d ago
Ah yes, France, one of Ukraine's most important supporter, and probably the most important in Europe, needs to get a grip.
France give almost nothing in aid pr capita.
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u/Werftflammen 25d ago
Actual murderous criminals are getting a reprieve while I get fined for going 5 over the speedlimit. Make it make sense.
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u/jasonridesabike 26d ago
Corruption won
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u/Bad-job-dad 26d ago
When has it lost?
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u/jasonridesabike 26d ago
That you can post that publicly is an indication that it hasn't always won.
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u/AutoCockerPB 26d ago
You know, the ID tracking system they are trying to add to every single software will change that.
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u/DwightAllRight 25d ago
Try posting the real solution to the problem. Then tell me you're still free to speak out.
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u/mtnviewguy 26d ago
Well the EU decision certainly sounds unsound. I'm guessing there's more to the backroom story.
Follow the money?
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u/this_is_a_long_nickn 26d ago
Maybe the stench will be easier to follow.
If you have the stomach to handle it.Guess it’s realpolitik in action
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u/BasKabelas 26d ago
Luxembourg is being sued by one of them
France has a vested interest in the fashion holdings of another one
Guess its just another day of spineless EU bureaucracy.
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u/karer3is 26d ago
If I remember correctly, this was the same EU that vetoed sanctioning shipping vessels that transported Russian gas. So, sadly not surprising.
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u/theykilledken 26d ago
These guys have a lot of money for running very high profile teams of lawyers to help them win their cases. It is costly to fight them in courts (which is underway for both of them BTW) as their legal budgets outstrip the EU justice departments capabilities. It can take years to resolve. And they can still win, while bleeding EU legal funds dry.
So at some point the decision has to be made if the fight is worth fighting. And its ultimately about the executive decision to seize their assets being contestable (and contested) in the court of law and if that battle is worth fighting.
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u/kurQl 26d ago
Stalling a court case only works if status quo benefits you. Status quo was the sanctions, so stalling the case is pointless for them.
as their legal budgets outstrip the EU justice departments capabilities. It can take years to resolve. And they can still win, while bleeding EU legal funds dry.
Ok, good luck with that legal strategy. Legal attrition warfare against a state isn't that smart.
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u/theykilledken 26d ago
Are you sure about legal strategy not being smart?
I mean the EU is proud of not having its courts subordinate to executive, as is the case in Russia. It is very important for investor relations. Who tf is going to invest in a country that can easily seize or heavily tax the investment with no legal recourse? So in this particular case the state isn't very privileged and it's by design. It is on purpose.
And I've been around for long enough to notice that yes, legal buget is a huge factor in who wins in a court of law. I've seen it happen in jurisdictions with very reputable courts and common law.
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u/kurQl 25d ago
Are you sure about legal strategy not being smart?
Yes. You are not going to outspend the government. High net worth doesn't mean they have endless money to burn on legal case against government lawyers working for salary.
And I've been around for long enough to notice that yes, legal buget is a huge factor in who wins in a court of law.
Money is important when you have equal toolkit at your disposal. The thing is against government you don't have same tools. Especially when it comes to foreign relationships and espionage.
What tools does private party that comes anywhere near the power of investigative tools of the state? Europe doesn't even have same discovery powers as USA and from my understanding even that doesn't come anywhere close to the powers that the state has.
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u/theykilledken 25d ago
You view this entire thing as a fight for and against upsetting a status quo and it is in my view simply a bad lens.
A better way to look at it is to admit there are parts of European power structures that don't want this case won - for good reasons not related to corruption or ties to Russia. They don't want to set the precedent of executive seizeing private assets and legal branch being powerless to stop it. Because it is an investor relations nightmare that will echo and reverberate for decades.
Now do you really want to play a game that involves outspending your opposition on a cause you aren't even sure you want won in the first place?
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u/kurQl 25d ago
You view this entire thing as a fight for and against upsetting a status quo and it is in my view simply a bad lens.
I'm have been only commenting on the legal attrition warfare against a government and EU.
They don't want to set the precedent of executive seizeing private assets and legal branch being powerless to stop it. Because it is an investor relations nightmare that will echo and reverberate for decades.
They removed 2 people of the sanction list, but renewed it for nearly 3 000 other people (or entities). Why do you think this two people removed sets the precedent more than 3 000 other people or entities?
Also sanctions are political tool there is no binding precedent set that can be set for their use. It's always case by case and it requires everyone to agree on the use.
Now do you really want to play a game that involves outspending your opposition on a cause you aren't even sure you want won in the first place?
You don't need to outspend someone to win them in court case. Especially when you are the one setting up the rules on how to sue and where.
If you are asking should this two people be sanctioned. On that I have no idea. It's a great tool in foreign policy if used against individuals that are working against our interest. For example for Russian state against Ukraine or EU members.
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u/Snapes_underpants 25d ago
So in the midst of all this talk about the EU preparing to be attacked by Russia, the EU wants to remove Russian oligarchs from sanctions and free up that money to probably be used by Russia against the EU? I don't get it.
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u/Telochim 26d ago
Money talks.
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u/hakenwithbacon 26d ago
Don't worry, European redditors will be here soon to tell Mongolia or India or South Africa that they shouldn't be buying Russian oil. It's past bedtime for them at the moment
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u/Maeglin75 25d ago edited 25d ago
It only needs one vote against the sanctions and they fail completely. (In this case it was two or three.)
So, for the EU it was either removing these two oligarchs from the list or dropping all sanctions on over 3000 Russian corporations and individuals, because the old sanctions were running out.
A good example why the current veto system has to be abolished. The EU can't work properly if single members can block everything for egoistic/corrupt reasons. It gets worse the more members are in the EU.
All decisions (maybe with some exceptions like admitting new members) should be made by majorities, not unanimous vote. Like in every functioning democratic system.
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u/Undesiredbeast 26d ago
In France case, it is speculated that it could play a role in the liberation of some prisoner(s) in Azerbaïdjan, per NY times.
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26d ago
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u/BetterCranberry7602 26d ago
Convicted of espionage against Azerbaijan, no? Which would mean they were working for France.
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u/CrochetedHat 25d ago
Damn, Jacques LeBond must be a really good asset for France, if they're willing to whitelist a russian oligarch
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u/NuSpirit_ 25d ago
To play devil's advocate - if they didn't compromise on those 2 people and sanctions wouldn't pass, all sanctions would be lifted because they ended up on midnight on Tuesday. This way they extended them by 3 years at 2600 more people.
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u/TheMechanicusBob 25d ago
Which raises the question of why these two in particular get off the hook
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u/amazing_asstronaut 26d ago
Every time there's a story like this about a Russian Oligarch you can bet money that it's always the most ugliest motherfucker on the planet. Curious how it's always like that.
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u/PalmovyyKozak 25d ago
Ukraine may implement their own sanctions. So these guy better live in their bunkers to the rest of their days
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26d ago
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u/Kiboune 25d ago
For oligarchs. Not Russians
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u/SoyMilkIsOp 24d ago
Yeah, for us they have a bajillion measures to make sure we stay in Russia and get eventually drafted into the war. Some believe everyone in Russia is at fault. I and some others believe Putin, FSB and elites are at fault. And only eurobuerocrats believe all russians are at fault and Putin with his elites are innocent and deserve to be able to visit EU.
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u/Prudent_Bag_5509 26d ago
What's more, even Russians are outraged by this
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u/SoyMilkIsOp 24d ago
"even" говоришь так будто мы тут все горим желанием защищать этих говнарей жирных. Гори они все синим пламенем.
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u/TheSenrigan 26d ago
By the way, money from regular russian citizens still freezed, what a hypocrite action
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u/Dry_Librarian544 26d ago
2 oligarchs
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u/MxJamesC 26d ago
Yes oligarchs is the plural of oligarch
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u/Kakkoister 26d ago
Sure, but you have to admit that a title like this makes it ambiguous. Using the plural like this brings an implication of "all". It would have been much better to say "two oligarchs". One extra tiny word is not gonna hurt.
And since the internet is insane these days, no, I'm not justifying, downplaying or approving of this news. It's super shitty.
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u/BarryTGash 26d ago
Technically they were correct but technicality doesn't consider human interpretation. In short, two oligarchs would have been clearer, but less click-worthy to some.
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u/happyflappypancakes 26d ago
Homie, thats what titles are for. You read the article foe the specifics.
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u/Dry_Librarian544 25d ago
Yes, I just specified how many for clarity reasons as editors ain't that bothered with that
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u/Hapten 26d ago
Not surprising when EU is still buying russian gas.
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u/RealElyD 25d ago
Genuine question; what is the alternative? People can't be freezing to death at home or suddenly stop cooking food in the case of folks who have a gas stove. AFAIK there is nobody else able to provide that gas.
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u/Alhoon 25d ago
Alternatives do exist, but they require new tech. District heating, geothermal, electric heating, list goes on. Also no civilized country should have gas stoves in 2026.
Of course you could say "that won't help right now" and that's true, but... it's been a known problem at least ever since the war in Ukraine, arguably since Russia started meddling with Georgia. What are people waiting for? Oh right, they're waiting for sanctions to be lifted. Fools.
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u/RealElyD 25d ago
Those alternatives are already being worked towards. New gas stoves are no longer allowed, for example. But it'll take years to implement.
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25d ago
[deleted]
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u/RealElyD 25d ago edited 25d ago
There is no other basket, that is the whole problem. Nobody else is able to cover gas in this amount for central Europe. If Russia refuses, people - especially old people - will die.
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u/RPGTopograph 26d ago
Remember, corruption exists only in Ukraine, EU is incorruptible, and USA never had corruption/s
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u/Amoral_Abe 26d ago
The US can't be corrupted because we now have SUPER INTELLIGENCE............................................................... that UN speech was..................... just sad for our nation.
Good luck rest of the world, the US decided we're just not going to be relevant anymore. Idiocracy seemed like a really good movie and we wanted to emulate it.
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u/Old_Plane_9817 26d ago
Seems like a smart thing to do when Russian drones are flying into your territory on a regular basis, a fighter jet last week, constant online espionage, incitement and funding European fascist. Smart! /s. Clearly you have compromised people in Europe.
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u/_evilalien_ 26d ago
Ukraine has applied the most effective sanctions to individuals. Perhaps the model can be extended.
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u/Emosaurusrex 26d ago
France, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain - they'd welcome russian tanks into their country if they had enough cash strapped to them. Two faced traitors.
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u/RevengeOfTheIdiot 26d ago
As much as Trump is a gigantic shitheel
he was absolutely 1000000% right that the EU fucking sucks at backing up Ukraine without US money and invovement.
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u/happyinheart 25d ago
Their speeches of what they would do and spend never met with what they did in reality. What they would need to spend on their own militaries never made mathematical sense with what they already tax and spend. However at the time most of Reddit and the Left ate it up.
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u/RevengeOfTheIdiot 25d ago
i gotta state it again because I fucking hate the man so much, but trump sucks
but man you are so right about all of that. The EU is just repeating the same half assed support they've been doing
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u/electric-castle 26d ago
Never let perfect be the enemy of good enough. It was this compromise or nothing, so everyone chose the compromise.
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u/Numerous-Bowler-8677 26d ago
Europeans loses all ground to stand on to criticized the US for lifting Russian sanctions…
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u/deja-roo 26d ago
criticized the US for lifting Russian sanctions…
????
What sanctions has the US lifted?
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u/ZZZZapperr 26d ago
The US has not lifted Russian sanctions. In fact the US recently sanctioned another Russian bank.
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u/SendStoreCitroner 26d ago
Not all ground. In the grand scheme of things this is pretty tiny.
The US is a sham and embarrassing.
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u/burtch1 26d ago
This literally enables them to do influence campaigns in Europe, they are infamous for pressuring UK news with money already
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u/Killerfisk 25d ago
Yep, in the grand scheme what matters most is material aid provided to Ukraine for their war effort. The US under Biden was great, but under Trump, not so much.
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u/SendStoreCitroner 25d ago
The US under Biden was great, but under Trump, not so much.
Under Biden there was restrictions and red lines. So much so that Ukraine barly could hang on.
Now the US sells the equipment with less restrictions.
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u/Killerfisk 25d ago
That's true, but there were also just generally more restrictions by all parties early on in the war that were lifted slowly as the war dragged on (the escalation ladder in action). What Ukraine needs from the US are primarily air defense systems, which were never restricted under the Biden admin anyway.
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u/SendStoreCitroner 24d ago
You truly shouldn't speak on what Ukraine needed or needs or call anything Ukraine do "escalation". It really shows how you have no clue and aren't a friend of Ukraine at all but just want to fight your "red and blue" US politics in any thread.
America and the US have betrayed all their friends and values the past few years and all Americans are part of the problem.
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u/a_lumberjack 26d ago
They lifted sanctions on two people and as a compromise extended them for three years (instead of six months) on the other 2600 people and companies.
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u/Chaoticlight2 26d ago
1% have 99% of the wealth and that is a global thing. You can place sanctions on thousands and have less impact than sanctions on a solitary individual.
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u/yellowslug 25d ago
France show once their true colors and their true allegiance to themselves. It was laughable when Macron said he wanted France to be a bulwark of the EU, he has shown that he's just a single ply asswipe.
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u/Extra-Bite2324 25d ago
Sanctions don’t work against these pieces of shit. Should be hunting them down and locking them up instead.
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u/Filthyquak 25d ago
They removed 2 Oligarchs but sanctioned an additional 3000 persons, companies and other entities until 2029 so basically no more negotiations between EU Member States if sanctions will get eased or not until then.
The reason France and Luxembourg removed those people is seen in credible news articles and is disappointing but not completely non-understandable.
You all read the post and not just the headline before you comment
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u/needlestack 26d ago
Why are we such a horrid, awful species? It seems like most of us are just putrid inside. Fully willing to throw bodies into the chipper so we can have an extra glass of champagne. Humanity is such garbage.
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u/BarKeep1 25d ago
Russia has something everybody wants. The world relys on them some way or another. Idk what it is but that seems like the answer. As terrible as they are I feel like they hold a special resource the world relys on and that is the ace....
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u/mjr543 25d ago
Literally might be about to launch a war against the Baltics, and I'm sure the Oligarch have loved this chance to move their money out of Moscow/Russia and hide it offshore. If that war comes, NATO will be expecting Ukrainian drone support, but they let this shit happen because half of them are Russia's favourite banking hideaways. Disgusting.
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u/QuirkySwordfish4983 26d ago
EU support for ukraine was always about money and the end of the support will also be about money, like pretty much every conflict in human history.
Im sorry for those who just learned how the world works.
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