Europe accuses US of profiting from war

[diamenz]

EU officials attack Joe Biden over sky-high gas prices, weapons sales and trade as Vladimir Putin’s war threatens to destroy Western unity.

Top European officials are furious with Joe Biden’s administration and now accuse the Americans of making a fortune from the war, while EU countries suffer.

“The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the U.S. because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” one senior official told POLITICO.

The explosive comments — backed in public and private by officials, diplomats and ministers elsewhere — follow mounting anger in Europe over American subsidies that threaten to wreck European industry. The Kremlin is likely to welcome the poisoning of the atmosphere among Western allies.

“We are really at a historic juncture,” the senior EU official said, arguing that the double hit of trade disruption from U.S. subsidies and high energy prices risks turning public opinion against both the war effort and the transatlantic alliance. “America needs to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries.”

Another top official, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell, called on Washington to respond to European concerns. “Americans — our friends — take decisions which have an economic impact on us,” he said in an interview with POLITICO.

The U.S. rejected Europe's complaints. “The rise in gas prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin's energy war against Europe, period," a spokesperson for Biden's National Security Council said. Exports of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. to Europe "increased dramatically and enabled Europe to diversify away from Russia," the NSC spokesperson said.

The biggest point of tension in recent weeks has been Biden’s green subsidies and taxes that Brussels says unfairly tilt trade away from the EU and threaten to destroy European industries. Despite formal objections from Europe, Washington has so far shown no sign of backing down.

At the same time, the disruption caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is tipping European economies into recession, with inflation rocketing and a devastating squeeze on energy supplies threatening blackouts and rationing this winter.

As they attempt to reduce their reliance on Russian energy, EU countries are turning to gas from the U.S. instead — but the price Europeans pay is almost four times as high as the same fuel costs in America. Then there’s the likely surge in orders for American-made military kit as European armies run short after sending weapons to Ukraine.

It's all got too much for top officials in Brussels and other EU capitals. French President Emmanuel Macron said high U.S. gas prices were not “friendly” and Germany’s economy minister has called on Washington to show more “solidarity” and help reduce energy costs.

Ministers and diplomats based elsewhere in the bloc voiced frustration at the way Biden’s government simply ignores the impact of its domestic economic policies on European allies.

When EU leaders tackled Biden over high U.S. gas prices at the G20 meeting in Bali last week, the American president simply seemed unaware of the issue, according to the senior official quoted above. Other EU officials and diplomats agreed that American ignorance about the consequences for Europe was a major problem.

continued...

[Off the Court]

I don't get it, the US is not forcing any country in Europe to purchase oil from us. They can continue getting it from Russia if they want to. Them banning Russian exports in on them. And also it's on Putin.

[ZenMaster]

I don't get it, the US is not forcing any country in Europe to purchase oil from us. They can continue getting it from Russia if they want to. Them banning Russian exports in on them. And also it's on Putin.

The world is a bit more nuanced than this kindergarden perspective though. Or maybe you missed the part where there's a joint effort amongst western countries to exclude everything Russian.
No leader of the core US allies in Europe can speak against this exclusion now as Russia has been branded a terrorist evil state since March, they simply wouldn't get re-elected and opposing politicians would feast on it.

[Off the Court]

The world is a bit more nuanced than this kindergarden perspective though. Or maybe you missed the part where there's a joint effort amongst western countries to exclude everything Russian.
No leader of the core US allies in Europe can speak against this exclusion now as Russia has been branded a terrorist evil state since March, they simply wouldn't get re-elected and opposing politicians would feast on it.

Why would the US get blamed for the EU's joint sanctions against Russia?

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/p...sia-explained/

Here is the EU explaining their sanctions. No where on there does it declare that the US made them do anything.

[SATAN]

The world is a bit more nuanced than this kindergarden perspective though. Or maybe you missed the part where there's a joint effort amongst western countries to exclude everything Russian.
No leader of the core US allies in Europe can speak against this exclusion now as Russia has been branded a terrorist evil state since March, they simply wouldn't get re-elected and opposing politicians would feast on it.

[bladefd]

Why would the US get blamed for the EU's joint sanctions against Russia?

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/p...sia-explained/

Here is the EU explaining their sanctions. No where on there does it declare that the US made them do anything.

EU are just looking to blame someone for their high natural gas prices. Who better than the US, their new exporters replacing much of Russi? They don't realize that it's American energy companies charging that extra cost not America itself. Energy companies profit from it.

[jstern]

The world is a bit more nuanced than this kindergarden perspective though. Or maybe you missed the part where there's a joint effort amongst western countries to exclude everything Russian.
No leader of the core US allies in Europe can speak against this exclusion now as Russia has been branded a terrorist evil state since March, they simply wouldn't get re-elected and opposing politicians would feast on it.

I've never come across anyone that lacks nuance as much as Off the Court. Perhaps Bladedf, maybe. But I think Off the Court still has him beat. His way of thinking is purely black and white. This is why I'm convinced that Axe is the smartest woke radical leftist on ISH. Followed by probably Jasper.

[Axe]

I've never come across anyone that lacks nuance as much as Off the Court. Perhaps Bladedf, maybe. But I think Off the Court still has him beat. His way of thinking is purely black and white. This is why I'm convinced that Axe is the smartest woke radical leftist on ISH. Followed by probably Jasper.

Not one, not two, not three. But four posters mentioned in this post.

[GimmeThat]

and people who made pacifiers made a fortune off of toddler crying

[jstern]

So what? I told you before that I don't like to ignore people. Though I didn't mention Satan and Diamenz.

[SATAN]

So what? I told you before that I don't like to ignore people. Though I didn't mention Satan and Diamenz.

Keep mentioning all the people that irritate you.

[bladefd]

Keep mentioning all the people that irritate you.

Jstern used to mention me a lot, almost in every post he made. Surprised he didn't mention me this time =[

Has he been mentioning me much lately? Been on my block list for a couple years or so

[Nanners]

Not one, not two, not three. But four posters mentioned in this post.

Who knew the "smartest woke radical leftist on ISH" could count all the way to 4?

[jstern]

Who knew the "smartest woke radical leftist on ISH" could count all the way to 4?

[SATAN]

Jstern used to mention me a lot, almost in every post he made. Surprised he didn't mention me this time =[

Has he been mentioning me much lately? Been on my block list for a couple years or so

Pretty sure he mentioned you a couple times over the past few weeks.